Twisted Roses
by WWT
Summary: A dead friend from abby's past returns alive. A web of love and friends. A twisted vine of roses to be turned into a beautiful boquette. Will get less work related as it goes on. Femmeslash and Slash with hint of scifi. McGibbs Tiva Abby/other ziva/other
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, quit moping Tony!" Ziva nagged. She walked to Tony's desk and, putting a hand on each of his shoulders, rocked him back and forth.

"I know you loved her, but she is gone! You had to leave her for the sake of your job. It was for the best. You could not go and keep being someone you were not just for her. You know, you were never meant to fall for her for real; that wasn't part of the mission." Tony still was not over Miss Jeanne Benior.

"I know." Tony flopped his head down onto his desk, resting it on his folded arms. He picked his head up, sighed, and layed it back down. Gibbs strutted in in his usual manner, stopping and sitting down at his desk. He sipped his coffee and shuffled some papers.

"What? No orders first thing in the morning, Boss?"

"Nope."

"Maybe we'll actually get a day to relax, sit back and do paperwork." Ziva interjected, none too exited about sifting through the stacks and stacks of papers they had neglected to get to in the past few busy weeks. (There had been an excess of cases lately, lots of Marines had been murded in a series of hate killings on soldiers from other countries). The phone at Gibbs's desk was cut off mid ring. He had picked it up, jotted down a few small things and hung up.

"Grab your gear. We've got two dead marines found in 13th St. Park. Looks like a religous crime."

"Why do say that Boss?" McGee asked as they entered the elevator.

"You'll see." Gibbs said curtly.

They arrived on the scene, ready to begin the investigation. Doctor Mallard and Jimmy were already there, and had just begun their preliminary tests, liver probes and whatnot.

"What've we got Ducky?"

"Two victims: Lieutenent Commander Amy Dalamer and Petty Officer Chelsea Singer. IDs were on them. Approximate TOD is 01:00 hours (1:00 A.M.) The wounds are identical on both of them. A cross gauged into each cheek and lightly carved into the neck, with what I assume to be a knife. Cause of death seems to be a single stab to the heart. We'll know more once we get back to autopsy."

"Got it. Ziva, go take a statement from the girl who found them." Gibbs barked as McGee already began to take photos of the vicitms and blood patterns, "Tony, sketches. McGee, collect evidence and pictures." He sipped the last of his coffee before putting on a pair of latex gloves. He was now ready to get to work.

McGee scanned the surrounding earth and grass as he slowly walked, looking carefully for evidence with a trained eye. Sparkling in the sun, something caught his eye. He kneeled down on one leg slowly (his legs were achy from a long night with his typewriter) to get a better look. It was an ornate red rosary, no less than five feet from the victims and spattered with blood.

"Boss! I think I've got something!"

"You don't have to yell Mcgee; I'm only a few feet away."

"Oh, sorry Sir."

"Now what did I tell you about apologizing? What've you got?"

"Sorry, I mean, you told me it's a sign of weakness-"

"McGee!"

"Right. Its a rosary," He flipped it over and back, examining it further. He stopped at an engraving on the back of one of the segments,

"The Letters VA are inscripted on it. Maybe initials? I should check all the Catholic churches in the area. If it's our killer's and they carried it around daily, they most likely go to church regularly. I'll see if anyone with the initials VA is on any of the parish rosters from around here."

"Leah Marshall, says she was walking her dogs and came upon the bodies. Says her dogs didn't get near the body," Ziva once again interrupted.

"She saw them lying on the ground, yelled to see if they were alright, when they didn't respond, she tied her canine companions to the tree over there," she pointed to the tree that The dogs were, at present, bound to.

"She then ran over here and checked for a pulse just in case, then called us, seeing the naval uniforms they are dressed in."

"Good, you can help McGee with the evidence collection." He bagged a few loose hairs from the bodies. Ziva, meanwhile, began searching for anything else. She crouched as she put on her own gloves. There was a piece of torn, white fabric snagged on an above-ground root. She bagged it and tagged it.

"Abby might be able to tell what these are from," she turned to face him.

"Maybe, they look pretty distinct. Tightly woven, weird fabric. If we're lucky, she might even match it to a specific item or brand of clothing," They began to search the grounds again.

"I'm suprised that girl knew to call us; most people do not even know we exist, let alone our number." McGee thought out loud. Ziva froze in her tracks to ponder this fact.

"That _is_ odd, McGee. I wonder where she got it. Maybe we should bring her in for questioning."

"We should ask GIbbs first. Wouldn't want to get his tugbost boxers in a bunch because we brought someone in when it doesn't pertain to the case... He's right behind me, isn't he?" he looked around behind him.

"No," she too, looked around, trying to place him. She sighted him across the park lounged against a tree, talking to the girl in a friendly manner, as though they were old friends.

"He's over there, with the girl, Leah." she tilted her head in their general direction.

"They kind of look lke they know each other... They're hugging!" McGee exclaimed quietly, stunned. He had never seen him hug anyone but Abby.

"OK, now I _know_ they know each other."

"Might explain how she knew the number for NCIS," Ziva added.

Leah walked to her dogs, untied them, and began to walk home. She had given her Cell number to Gibbs so he could contact if need be. Along the long, twisting path , she walked with not a thought in her head. Less than half way home, her cell rang. It was none other than Gibbs.

"I swear I had in my pocket on the way back, Gibbs!"

"Now, Ziva, it isn't nice to swear," Tony taunted. Gibbs shut him up by glaring. She was frantically searching for her little notebook, the one she'd taken Leah's statement in.

"It must have fallen out somewhere on the way up from the garage!" she groaned, grabbing her coat as she hurriedly headed down to the parking garage.

"I am going to go look for it,"

"Don't bother, Ziva," Ziva gave him a puzzled look.

"I already called her. She's on her way now," He dialed Abby's lab.

"Hey Ab's"

"Hey, Gibbs!" She was on another rush of caffiene.

"I need a favor. We've got a someone who found the bodies ,Leah, coming in."

"Yeah, and?"

"She get home before I called and she still has her five dogs with her."

"And you want me to dog-sit while she's here, so you can take her statement. Ziva told me"

"Yep,"

"Yay! Lab buddies! I'm soooo glad Ziva lost her notebook. I mean I'm not glad she lost it because that's a bad thing. But, I'm glad I get to"

"Abby!"

"Sorry, I'll shut up,"

"That's my girl,"

"Boss, I got that list of parish members with the initials VA,"

"And?"

"There are only three people with those initials that attend churches within a ten mile radius of the scene: Virginia Aruss, Vladmir Acres, and Vannessa Adams. Vladmir had a ligit alibi , He's in California visiting his sick mother. He has multiple witnesses to that. Vannessa has a pretty solid one; all the church members saw her there at the time of the murder. I tried to call Virginia, but she didn't pick up," Gibbs gave him a look.

"I'll just go call her again.." he turned and rushed to get to work calling her.

"Heya, Gibbsy! Long time no see!" Leah kidded as she rounded the corner of the cubicles.

"They took my babies away at the door. Your labrat better take good care of them,"

"Gibbsy?" Tony said questioningly, he and Tim glancing at him for his reaction, which was to simply carry on as if that was what everyone called him.

"Don't worry, Abby'll probably have them out of their crates and playing with them within five minutes," McGee reassured. Leah's thoughts drifted to her childhood friend, Abbie. Her Abbie had loved dogs and forensics, too.

"Good. So, you need to take my statement again?"

"Yep,"

"What happened to the last-"

"Lost it," he cut her off.

"You sure are getting forgetful in your old age, Gibbs," she joked.

"Wasn't me who lost it,"

"Oh. Okiedokie. Did you want to talk here or in a comfrence room?

"Let's go," Leah trotted ahead to the bottom of the stairs and waited. If things hadn't changed since was here last, she knew where the comfrence rooms were already (she worked on a case with him about 6 years ago).

"Go on ahead, they haven't moved," She pranced up the stairs, people staring at how effortlessly she climbed them. Gibbs followed behind slowly, not even trying to keep up. They went in to the comfrence room and she sat down while he got her a drink of water.

"So, what happened?" he flipped open a small pad and a pencil.

"Let's see," she stood and paced a bit, recalling the event, "I was walking my dogs and I see the bodies lying there. I yelled to see if they were alright because my dogs were going nuts; they always do, being part wolf and all. So I tie them to a tree on the...southeast side side of the park and run over to them. Checked for a pulse, I suppose in hope of a miracle. I knew they were Marines on account of their uniforms, so I called you,"

"You still have my number?"

"I still have it on speed dial from that case a few years back. It's not like I have a lot of friends, Gibbs," She frowned. She didn't get out of her house much so she wasn't really close to anyone except Jack and Ianto who lived with her and acted as her 'keepers'.

"Thanks for coming in," he finnished jotting a few things down. He'd written down everything she'd done while he interviewed her, including spinning around in her chair.

"So, any suspects?" she asked curiously.

"A few,"

"Am I one of them?" she continued to spin.

"Not anymore,"

"Not gonna tell me jack, are you?"

"Nope,"

"Awwww, that sucks. Oh well. I guess were done here, then?"

"I suppose so,"

"Any chance of you getting me and my dogs a ride home? I really don't feel like walking all the way home _again_,"

"Sure thing," He picked up the landline and asked to speak to NCIS transportation.

"Yes, I'd like to arrange for one of the SUV's or vans to... I see. OK, thank you," Hanging up the phone, he folded his hands on the table.

"Hate to say this, but you're stuck here," he smiled

"WHAT!?"

"Apparently, there was a freak crash in the garage and all the larger vehicles are either having bodywork, have been deemed unsavable, or are being used,"

"In other words, I either have to sit here all day untill one of them in't in use, walk home _again _and probably wait _there_ all day since I forgot my key,or leave my angels here and go try and pick the locks on my own home, which I might add, are supposed to be pick-proof."

"Pretty much,"

"Joyus,"

"Sorry, there isn't much I can do,"

"I guess there really isn't. I think I'll take my chances with the first one, y'know th one with air conditioning. Just point me to the nearest computer that's convienient to you for me to use," she sighed.

"Of course," He lead her to Dinozzo's desk, pulled the chair out for her, and picked up Tony's now-cold coffee, tossing it in the trash. She sat down, smoothing her plaid, pleated skirt as she did so.

"You can sit here for the day, Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm good on the water and I think I'm fine on food,"she promptly pulled a threemusketeers bar out of her purse. Gibbs peered in and saw that it was basically filled with chocolates and candy.

"If Dinozzo comes and tell him that I gave you permission to sit here unless he has a damn good reason why you shouldn't,"

"Coolness," she turned to back to the computer and brought up her blog.

"You can go see your dogs later if you want, they're in the forensics lab with Abs,"

"About that, what's her last name?"

"Sciuto, why?"

"Nothing. Ducky still works down in autopsy, right?"

"Yeah,"

"Permission to go bug him later?"

"Permission granted," he laughed as he left.

"I'll call you when I can get you a ride,"

"Thankies!" She finnished up in her blog, telling the world of her misfortune. Dinozzo was dumfounded at the apparently teenage girl sitting at his desk as if it was her own.

"Hello, may I help you?"

"Nope, I'm good,"

"That's nice, kid. Could you get out of my desk?"

"Not unless you give me a really good reason as to why I should,"

"Uh, well, let's see, because it's my desk and I said to-"

"BEEEEEEEP. WRONG ANSWER!"

"What!?" He began to become flustered. It was quite easy to get to him, obviously.

"Gibbs said I could sit here unless you had a really freaking good reason for me not to,"

"Gibbs..." He scratched his head.

"Listen kid-"

"I'm not actually as young as I look," she cut him off not even looking up from the screen.

"I've got a gene disorder that makes me age slower than the norm,"

"Yeah right, that's BS,"

"Don't believe me? Go ask Gibbs," she stared at the screen for a few seconds more then closed her programs.

"I suppose Gibbs wouildn't appreciate me slowing down your computer by down loading my MMORPG, so i guess I'll go visit Ducky," She got up and began to walk away. Still stunned, it took him a few seconds to recooperate.

"If you're into those computer games, you should try Probie's computer. I know he's got one on there, You might be able to log in or whatever,"

"Thanks for the heads up," She sat down at Mcgee's desk.

"Hey! See if you can haack his account and mess up his stats or something! Y'know, mess with him," Tony goaded her.

"Nah, I don't do that kind of stuff; I know how irritating it would be to have to get to get them back,"

"Ah, c'mon! It'd be funny,"

"Nah I'm already- No way! This is hilarious!"She laughed out.

"What's so funny?" He came over to tim's desk and tried to understand what she thought was so funny.

"I already know your 'Probie' . only to me, he's known as-"

"Who are you and what are you doing sitting at my desk? What are you doing!?" McGee saw she was looking at his stats.

"So you're McSnow941. This is _rich_!"

"What is?" He gritted his teeth.

"Pleasure to meet you McSnow941," She displayed her dark sorceress character on the plasma. She grinned ear to ear as she held out her hand in an offer to shake hands.

"Call me 'Dark Lord Leah' if you will,"

"No way," he stood there in disbeleif, staring at the girl who claimed to be his arch rival on the game. He finally offered his hand back to one of the greatest players on the whole game.

"There's no way you're-"

"No way what?" Dinozzo asked, confused.

"I kill elfboy here at least once a night," she chuckled.

"Behold my perfected battle capablilities!" she began playing and McGee was instantly in awe by her honed, flawless skills as her character twirlled around, killing a horde of ogres.

"Capabilities, of course, far beyond your own,"

"How did you-"

"Get so good?" she finnished for him, glancing up with a now more friendly smile.

"I have a _lot _of time on my hands," She played on battle mode for a few minutes more before going on to quest mode. After killing hundreds and completing five quests, she decided she'd had enough for a while and left to bother Ducky.

"Got anything for me Abs?" Gibbs sat a route 44 sized Caf-Pow beside Bert, her favorite stuffed, farting hippo, on her examinaton table.

"Abby?" he called her name again, unable to find her in the lab area.

"Back here! Back here!" she giggled,"Stop it! Quit! You're going to lick off my make up!" She was on the floor of the back room, being licked to death by three of the five large canines. Corris, the smallest one, was sitting off to the side, amused by the three that were mauling Abby with kisses, but not joining in. Cloud lay sleeping under the table, his long, mottled fur waving in the breeze of an airconditioning vent.

"What's up Gibbs?" she managed to get out in between gasps of air.

"You got anything yet?" He placed the cold beverage on the table, with a thump, momentarily startling the resting beast of a dog.

"I don't have much," She wrestled Mirage, Ayamu and Akita off of her. Gibbs started to take the drink and leave.

"But I do have something!"she yelled after him, desperately wanting the cafiene-filled drink. Bingo. This was the reaction he'd wanted.

"I got two results back on the blood from the rosary, both are from the vics" He acted llike he was leaving again, as if to say 'that isn't enough to deserve a Caf-Pow, Abby'

"Wait! I, uh, I'm gonna examine the rosary again, see if I can findsome good epithelials,"

"So why aren't you? He set it down once more. Abby soluted him.

"Yes sir! I'll get right on it!" She hurried to her desk and got her labcoat back on. She put on new gloves, picked up the rosary and began to test for usable epithelials. But for something she usually did effortlessly, she was havingto concentrate awfully hard. She just couldn't seem to focus. Akita, the friendliest of the dogs, was on her mind. Her childhood friend, named Leah, had had a dog named Akita, too. She had actually been the product of Leah's first dog, Kira, and her dog, Troy, not being 'fixed'. That Akita and This Akita were likeone and the same. They both had the same thick, coarse, brown and black, German Shepard-like fur. Same big, wolfish paws. hey were same, right down to the quirky personality. However, the idea that this, in fact, was the same dog,was preposterous. Impossible. That Akita was in her life when she was a teen, many, many years ago. And it certainly couldn't be the same Leah. Her Leah had died in a hospital bed, mere moments after she'd last held her small, worn hand.

"I talked to Vannessa again. She said that she saw Virginia at church at the midnight mass,"

"There's a mass at midnight?"

"She says Virginia left about halfway through. She was seen afterwards talking to the preist, said she seemed concerned and shaky, nervous. Ah, oh, she said that she'd also seen her go to confession both before and after which, needless to say, is a little strange. The service ended around 2:00. It was an extra long mass because a baptismal ceremony was incorporated,"

"If she murdered them and went back to church afterwards, maybe that's where she ditched the murder weapon,"

"On it boss," McGee and Ziva rushed to the elevator.

"Why didn't you tell me to go, Boss?"

"I think it was probably because they're going to a church and a good percentage of the church memberswould find you immoral, unholy, discusting, etcetera,"Abby said jokingly as she smiled at Tony.

"What's up Abs?" Gibbs stopped him from saying anything back.

"Nothing much, just went to get a refill and thought I'd come and see you guys. And I got an epithelial sample off the rosary,I'm running it right now and I'm just waiting for the results,"

"Did you lock the dogs up before you left?"

"Yes, Gibbs, I locked 'em up," She folded her arms and and rolled her eyes. Ducky called over the video comfrence device.

"Hello Jethro,"

"What've you got for me Duck?"

"Just as I'd suspected, the cause of death was a single stab to the heart. As for the motive and the crosses, I believe I can shed some light on that. You see-"

"Today Ducky,"

"I found traces of Chelsea Singer's saliva in the Commander's vaginal cavity,"

"Lesbians in other words, Gibbs," Leah shouted from the back of the room, getting to the point.

"Yes, obviously someone didn't approve of thier relationship. This reminds me of a case I had a while ba-" Gibbs cut off the transmission there.

"Was that the kid?"

"Technically she's not a kid, Abs. She's a day older than you. But yeah, that's Leah,"

"No way! So she wasn't kidding with me when she said that!" Tony interrupted

"If she's a day older than me, why does she sound so..."

"Young?" He finnished her sentence.

"She has a gene disorder, a mutation. Messes with how she ages,"

"Something's hinky, Gibbs. I-" Gibbs's phone rang.

"Boss, we've got a knife, wraped in a choir gown. It just so happens that Virginia was on the choir," He stooped, looking at the framed picture of that year's choir.

"Would you like us to go to the vics' houses on the way back?"

"Why didn't we do that in the first place?"

"Uh, I -don't- know, Sir,"

"And stop calling me Sir, McGee. I'm not in the core anymore," He hung up with a slam. He wasn't in the best of spirits when his agents were in a daze. Suddenly, the elevator doors opened, but it seemed that no one was coming out. Gibbs brought his pistol out from it's hiding place in the drawer. He began slowly stepping toward the elevators, gun raised. The last time something of this sort had happened, there had been agent shot to death awaiting them. Abby, being curious and less cautious, approached the elevator first. She held the doors before slowly peering in. It was, in fact, empty. She looked everywhere in the small cubicle like space.

"What the hell..." Gibbs looked in, also bewildered by the mysterious invisi-guest. Abs yelped slightly as she felt a tug on her skirt. Gibbs whirled to find his crosshairs alligned on Akita. She began to pull her into the elevator by gingerly pulling at the edge of her skirt, being careful not to rip it. She stepped out of the elevator, confused at what the dog was trying to tell her. Akita persisted on taking her down, stopping only when she squatted to pet her.

"How did you get up here? What are you trying to say, girl?"

"Yeah, poochie, is Jimmy in the well?" Dinozzo patted her and ruffled her shiny glossy coat.

" I thought you said you put her in her cage,"

"I did, Gibbs! How did you get out? Huh? Huh baby, How?" She prattled on at the dog who just sat there and soaked up the attention. Abby stopped for but a second and Akita simply gave her one look then proceded to press the button for the floor her lab was on. The doors closed in her face, nearly taking off her nose.

"Hey!" She then got the idea to call autopsy.

"Ducky, is she still down there?"

"Is who here? Oh, you mean Leah, yes of course,"

"I'm still here. You must be Abby. Everyone says we'd get along well. Think that's true?"

"Yeah, maybe, I'm pretty easy to get along with, I think. Anyway, did you go in my lab?"

"Noooooo... Why? Wait, let me guess, Akita came out of nowhere and started tugging at you, even though you locked her up and you were in a completely different part of the building,"

"Yeah... How did you know?"

"Were you waiting for results on something?"

"Uh, yes,"

"I trained her to do that; she's my lab hand. Really intelligent. I'm actually trying to teach her to write,"

"Seriously!?"

"Well, I'm hoping to... I haven't really done anything on that. I just got done teaching one of my cats, Trish, to do elementary math problems. So... really no progress at all on Akita; I've been having trouble with Trish and fractions..."

Ziva snapped a shot of the room.

"It is very quiet with out him here,"

"Without who?" McGee looked up from bagging Amy Dalamer's cell phone.

"Tony,"

"Oh... yeah. Don't you like the quiet?"

"Yes, it is just..."

"Wierd?"

"Yes, weird," There was an awkward silence following that as they packaged and recorded just abiut every single item in the small, one room apartment. As they finnished, they went on tho the petty officer's home in a similar fashion. Unfortunately for McGee, Ziva would have to drive due to the throbbing in his lower arms caused by packing around box after box and lifting mattresses. Therefore, he would likely be subjected to as many G-force, hairpin turns as a fighter plane pilot during an airshow.

"I am exhausted,"She moaned as she slouched in her chair. Her arms were now just as sore as McGee's; Tony hadn't helped them with the evidence. She made a poor attempt to use her Musad training to ignore the persistent, stinging ache in her forearms.

"Why so tired Ziva? Did you and McGee stop at a hotel?" Tony joked. Needless to say, she was not amused.

"No, I am tired, Tony, because you did not help us unload evidence. I swear, that woman had twenty diaries,"

"Woah, I was just messing around, Ziva. Jeez, I didn't help because I was busy pulling cell records, talking to the director, and filing. I even did yours," Ziva looed around at her desk. The papers she had left to be filed were in their place in the filing cabinet, all neat and tidy.

"Thank you, that was very sweet, Tony," He froze and realized that he'd done something nice for her. What was he thinking? He was never nice to Ziva.

"So, why did the director-"

"Can't talk about it. Top secret...stuff," He dramatically said with a air of mystery.

"Whatever, Tony," She sighed and layed her head down.

"Hey, guys! Where's Gibbs?" Abs cheerfully skipped into the room in her stack 308 platform boots.

"I don't know, Abby. Where _is_ Gibbs?"

"I dunno," Tim shrugged.

"I think he's hanging out in MTAC,"

"I wondered why he wasn't answering his cell. Guess I'll try again," She flipped open her cell and snapped it shut just as quick when she saw the dead battery sign.

"Arg! It's dead!" She stomped in her bulky boots over to Tony's desk and picked up the phone.

"I'm using your phone, Tony,"

"You alright Abs? You seemed so happy a second ago and now you seem... tense, moody," Tim inquired, concerned.

"Moody? I seem moody to you, McGee?! Who's moody? 'Cause I'm sure not!" She fumed, Slamming the phone down before even dialing.

"Abby! Abby! Calm down! Calm down!" Ziva said, more ordering than comforting. Abs sighed.

"Sorry guys, I guess I am. I have a lot on my mind right now... and it's bugging me,"

"Like what Abs?" Gibbs appeared out of nowhere, presumable from MTAC. She shifted her weight uncomfortably from leg to leg.

"It's nothing..." she said as she stared down at her shiny boots. Gibbs gave her that look.

"It's stupid, Gibbs, forget it,"

"What's wrong, Abby?" McGee asked quietly,

"We want to help, Abby, but you've got to tell us what's wrong," Z added, this time comfortingly.

"No, I don't want you to think I'm crazy or something..."

"We won't think you're crazy, Abs, "

"Why she's worried about that when half the building already thinks she's insane..." Dinozzo recieved three simultaneous head whaps for his mumbled comment. She motioned for everyone to come closer with a quick hand motion.

"You guys know that girl,"

"Leah?"

"Yeah," They all just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, you see... the thing is... she reminds me _a lot _of a friend I had in highschool,"

"She might be your old highschool buddy, Abs. She's a day older than you, remember?"

"My friend was a day older than me..." she mumbled, "her voice sounded the same, too."

"Go see her. Maybe she'll be your old friend,"

"That's impossible. I'd only end up being dissapointed..."

"Why is it so impossible?"

"Because, Gibbs... My leah, the friend I had in school... she died a year out of school... I went to the funeral, saw her cold dead..." Tears began to stream down her sodden cheeks as she remembered fond memories of her late friend.

Abby and Leah had been extremely close from the moment they'd laid eyes on each other, almost inseperable. Abs had only just moved into the neighborhood and her parents were already arguing. So, since the sun was setting, she decided to go for a stroll and tour the town. She'd been in a hurry to get out of the house and had forgotten her key. Having wandered around for a while, she decided upon heading home. Her lack of key placed her in a bit of a predicament, though.

Her father had left for his night job and wouldn't be back till the wee hours of the morning, and her mother, being deaf, didn't know she was practically beating the door down. After what seemed like hours upon hours of fruitless knocking, she settled on going down the street and seeing if anyone else would answer their doors. She peered down the road; only one house was still lit. Of course, it would be the one at the very end of the street. She was not looking forward to trudging all the way down the road in her platform boots. It was freezing out, despite the fact that it was September... in Tennessee, and she was wearing a thin long sleeve shirt, a short tartan skirt, and thin tights (she'd forgotten her jacket along with her key). Abby slowly dragged herself to the house and knocked on the door. She took off her spiked choker so as to not scare whomever answered the door; people in the neighborhood had not taken to her well. Her goth style did scare most, if they would only get to know her, they would see that she was an exceptional young lady who simply chose to express herself in a different way.

It was Leah who had answered the door. Although Leah's mother didn't exactly approve, she let her in anyway. She let her use the phone (although Her mom never picked up). They went down to her house and put signs in every window saying where she was. Surely her mom would see them; she'd be looking out the windows for her. In the end, She spent the night, falling asleep next to her by the fire. From then on, they were always together. Some kids called them the 'freak twins', but those close enough to them often called them and their relationship 'twin love' because they usually dessed alike or wore the exact same outfit as the other. She relived the event of the funeral. At Leah's request, she had a vampire style casket and was dressed in her favorite boots and sported a spiked choker.

Abby came back to the present. Gibbs was hugging her tightly to him. She found herself sobbing, struggling to get even a full breath of air. A crowd thronged around the room, flocking to see what was wrong.

"Shhhh," he comforted her, "It's alright, Abs,"

"I'm OK... I'm fine... I just remembered all the memories and feelings that took me ten long years to forget," Although she said this, she remained in his arms, reassured by the warmth and love of the hug. Unfortunately, a cell phone rang and everyone scrambled to their phones, hoping it wasn't them whom was ruining the Father-daughter-like moment. The ringing commenced and they reluctantly checked them. He answered it.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"Hey, cranky," Leah sneered back, "I can't take it anymore; I'm taking my dogs and leaving,"

"You sure? I thought you didn't have your key,"

"I forget my key alot, so I know another way to get in," She hoped Gibbs was losing his hearing at the rate he was his eyesight. He, however had perfect hearing and could hear a pin fall from a deck above... on a carrier vessel.

"I can't risk it," she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Forget it. I'm already gone, dogs in hand,"

"What!? You can't go in Abby's lab-"

"Technically, I didn't. I didn't pass the threshhold. I called Akita and she let the others out and retrieved thier leashes. I am walking out of the parking garage right now,"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you in such a big rush all of a sudden? What can't you risk?" he asked suspiciously. She was silent for a moment.

"Need to know only, Gibbsy... And you don't need to know," She ended the conversation with a snap, sharply closing the cell. There was someone in the building she couldn't risk meeting. Someone she direly wanted to see. Some one she wasn't _allowed _to talk to. Ever.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Ziva, Gibbs, Tony, and McGee were gathered in Abby's lab, partly to make sure she was alright and partially because she had something for them.

"OK, I came up earlier for a reason. The hairs you got from the bodies are from four different samples. Two are our vics', but the other two aren't. And one of them is stumping even me. My baby says it's human but it's got so many weird chemicals that it doesn't look like it is,"

"In other words we're looking for someone who looks like a junkee on a new brand of drug," Probie inserted.

"Or it's Leah's," They all looked at him weird.

"You think her aging defect might affect her DNA?"

"Maybe. But I was thinking more about how her job entails her tesing new medications and vaccines,"

"So she's a human labrat?"

"Pretty much,"

"That _would_ explain the weird chemicals. As for the last sample, it's completely human and female. Virginia's I suspect," Abby sipped a large Caf-Pow.

"By the way Abs, delete the sample for Leah's hair. Government secrets,"

"Sure," She did as she was told immediately.

"But why? We can't match it to confirm that it is hers without those results,"

"Good luck getting a warrant for her DNA," he looked around at the stares.

"She's not allowed to give her DNA away. It holds government secrets,"

"You mean she works for the government?"

"She works for several governments,"

"Sooooo, what should we do now, then?"

"I'll- just go- try calling Virginia again," McGee said as he backed out of the room, buckling under the intense pressure of the room.

"I'll just..." She exited behind him quickly. Tony hung around like a mosquito, just waiting to be smacked.

"That all still doesn't explain how her hair got on them. Or did she actually approach them?"

"Boss, didn't she check for a pulse?"

"No one told me that. That explains it, although it is kinda hinky that she had the most hair on both suspects, more than our other sample,"

"She always did shed as bad as her dogs,"

"You mean those long, thick, dirty blonde and russet brown pigtails were really a wig?"

"No, it grows back fast,"

"You mean fast for someone who doesn't age right," He joked.

"No, fast for a normal human,"

"Eww, I bet there's hair all over her place!" she scrunched her nose as laughed

"She keeps it clean, Abs," She got serious once he flashed her an admonishing look to tell her that he didn't appreciate the little comments. Suddenly, a fingerprint match window popped up and was beeping noisily. Abby exitedly walked over to her desk in short choppy steps.

"Oh! My baby's calling. I got a match on the fingerprint from the knife. Actually I didn't exactly get a match but it's more like-"

"Abby!" he attemted to stop her from digressing.

"Sorry. It matches a print lifted from the scene of a cold case from a few years back,"

"Well, whose is it?"

"I was getting to that. Unfortunately, they never figured out who it belonged to. Hence the term 'cold case'." she reitterated using air quotes. Seeing that Gibbs was not pleased, she continued.

"It was also a religious crime, that time against a muslim man in an all Christian neighborhood. It was found on the knife. the stabbing was in the heart but a blow to the head had knocked him out first so he probably didn't know his assailent. Uh... some similarities... looks like you might be able to solve a cold case, too!"

"I'll- go help Probie..." he said as he split, feeling awkward. They stood in silence for a while afterward. After a while they spoke.

"You sure you're OK, Abs?"

"I'm fine, really, Gibbs. And don't even think about telling me otherwise or that I don't look fine, Cause I am," Gibbs said nothing but simply stood there and gave her that 'do you need a hug, are you really alright' look.

"Oh, who am I kidding!?" she shuffle-ran over to him, practically asking to be embraced. He willingly obliged. "I spent a good part of my life trying to forget the memories of her.." She peered down at her feet with a solemn, despairing look across her tear-stained cheeks.

"I'll be back in a minute," he kissed her on the forehead and sauntered out of the room, in no apparent hurry. Abby felt as if she werea five-year-old lost in the mall; utterly alone. A minute came and went; two minutes; three. Finally, he materialized out of nowhere, scaring her half to death.

"Where did you go!? You lef-" she froze when she saw what he was lugging alongside him. It was a 4 liter keg/bottle of Caf-pow.

"Gibbs..."

"I would have been back sooner but I had to weasle my way into getting one of these, and then the first machine ran out so I had to go to a second," he grinned.

"Will it help?"

"Thank you!" She scuttled over, gave him a breif hug, and attaching herself to it, took an exaggerated, prolonged slurp, the chains hanging fron her unique arm warmers clonking against the reinforced straw. Her eyes bulged from lack of oxygen and semi-brain freeze.

"Don't hurt yourself, Abs," he started to walk away but she pulled herself away from it just fast enough to catch the edge of his coat sleeve.

"Wait!," she stopped for a second, trying to recover what it was she had left out.

"Did McGee see the initials on the knife?"

"He didn't say anything about it," he said, raising a brow.

"The initials BA were ingraved on the little hinge thingy of the pocketknife," she sipped the humongous drink urgently, like an achoholic trying to drink his pain away. Gibbs whipped out his cell phone and dialed Dinozzo.

"Was it something I said?" Abs asked. He nodded in responce.

"Get McGee to get the house address and where Virginia's husband, Barry, works. It's his knife. Take Ziva and find him. I don't care if you have to interrogate him in a broom closet, I want you to squeeze her location out of him," He promptly hung up and paced a bit.

"What's up?"

"He may be able to lead us to her,"

Tony glanced over at Ziva from the driver's seat. Feeling his eyes on her, she slowly turned to face him.

"Why do you keep looking at me, Tony? Do I have something in my teeth or something?" She casually flipped down the visor and gave a cursory glance into the mirror, inspecting her teeth thoughly despite how uncaring it looked to Tony. No matter how calm she seemed on the outside, she was indubitabily freaking out inside.

"You look different today. Can't put my finger on it, though..."

"It is my hair; I had a highlight put in." She pondered over what had triggered her to do this. She had wanted him to notice her. While he constantly frustrated her at work, she had recently found herself being intrigued by him, and she felt miserable when he was all glomy as he had been, resently.

"I went to a formal party last night and it completed my outfit rather well," she fabricated, lying to hide the potentially embarrassing reason she had really put it in for. She had a slight crush on Tony, nothing major. Most definately, she would not follow up. She knew better than to dissobey one of Gibbs's major silent rules. No co-worker relationships. She wasn't going to let him have something to taunt and tease her about.

He couldn't get over how absolutely stunning she was today. He eyed the single blonde highlight curiously in his periferal vision, wondering how he cold have possibly missed it. Tony emersed himself in a fantasy of her in a strapless, blue evening gown; a simple, shimmering diamond necklace; and her rich, wavy, brown hair done up in a formal bun, the highlight weaving in and out, creating an intricate pattern. Who had she been with? Danced with? Had anything happened? She had looked tired this morning when she came in. He found himself thinking asking himself all sorts of questions; quesions which, oddly, worried him greatly. He was, after all, the jealous type. He wondered, though, why he was jealous. This was Ziva, afterall. Sure she was pretty and all (he did love brunettes) but he couldn't like her in that way,...could he?

They pulled up to the Aruss residence. McGee and Gibbs had already been here but to no home had shatter resistant windows, a kick-proof door, everything was locked up tight; it was potentially impenetrable. An electronic number pad was inset into the door above the knob. A code lock.

"So much for simply picking the lock," Ziva sighed.

"We could powder the keys to see the combo,"

"That would give us the digits in the code but it would not really help us crack it, now would it?"

"I suppose not..."

"There could be any number of combinations." Tony looked around.

"Let's try knocking, someone might be home," he stated as he wrapped on the door.

"Tony, there are no cars in the driveway,"

"Maybe they only have one car and Virginia took it to get away. What do you think we should do?" he sneered. She thought for a moment glancing at the windows and door. She would get that lock off one way or another.

"Stand back," she commanded as she unholstered her pistol and aimed at the lock.

"Wait! Wait! We might as well knock a bit more!" He began to knock hurriedly. The door opened just a crack, revealing a man in his early forties. Tony stumbled slightly as the door opened as he had been leaning on the door.

"You might as well be in formed that I've called the cops and that they're on their way,"

"Yeah, well we kinda trumph the police. We're NCIS," Tony flashed his badge.

"Never heard of it," he said as he began closing the door. Ziva stuck her hand in, blocking the door jamb. Despite the intence throb of pain in her crushed hand, her face showed not a single twinge of said pain. She remained stoic. The man in his boxers and a wifebeater stared down in shock at her hand, then looked up at her and the look on her face, then back to the swelling and now blue-violet colored hand. Her face durned into a slight scowl as she saw that her manicure had been ruined and that she was bleeding. _This is why I never have them done_. She thought.

"Could I see that again?" Tony showed the badge once more, holding it up untill the man had finished staring at it. Barry assessed it carefully, looking at it for a long while with squinted eye. He finally glanced up at Tony who let out an impatient sigh.

"We need to ask you some questions. You are Barry Aruss, correct?"

"Very well, come in," he grumbled, opening th edoor just enough for them to come in. He folded his arms with hunched sholders, still standing in the small foyer and not inviting them in further to sit or anythng.

"So, what do you want?"

"Do you happen to own a pocket knife with your initials engraved on it?"

"Yes, why?"

"Could you retrieve it for us?"

"Sure.." He led them to the garage and rumaged through the top drawer of a standing tool box. He froze for but a minute before frantically begining to search the rest of the garage. He finally stopped and looked at them.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't seem to find it."

"That's because it's locked up in out evidence locker, covered in the blood of two dead marines."

"What!? You couldn't possibly think... It wasn't me! You can check the security tapes at my work!"

"Boss, do you want us to bring him in?" Dinozzo asked Gibbs over the phone.

"Nope, The epithelial Abs found are female; he didn't do it."

"We'll head over to his company and check out his alibi." He drove as Ziva wrapped her hand in a cloth bandage

Leah crunched down on a Snickers bar, little threads of caramel and nuget sticking to her lower lip and chin. She was now nearly to her house. Trudging up her long, winding driveway, she let her dogs off their leashes to run free on the grounds of her grand mansion. The red brick exterior was like a flame against ther lush green of the surrounding forest. The green ivy and vast vines of intence red roses snaked up the front and sides of the house to make the house a little less dauntingly bright in the green and brown of the backdrop, the two plants somehow co-existing in spite of the dominating, choking tendencies of the country ivy.

The remote location and setting of the estate was perfect for he unusual needs. It was just the right distance for her fifteen mile walk which conveiently lead into the city. It was quiet here, which was good since she had sleep apnea (she had the inconvenience before she began the job of experimental drug tester). She looked around at the trees. She just loved nature; the smell of her fruit trees, the colors of the flowers and trees, the way they moved in the breeze, all of it.

Leah pondered wether or not she had overreacted to her previous situation. Through the descriptions of Abby from the staff and teams, she had come to the assumption that their abby was her friend from her past life. She had fled the building with haste as she wasn't supposed to meet anyone from back then. If they had met and she had been the same girl, it would likely have been chaos.

She reached the green door and proceeded to attempt to breach the was useless; she knew how to pick a lock but wasn't adept enough to get past the so called 'lock-proof' locks. It was useless. She sighed as she backed up, preparing to kick it in. she ran at the door, producing a powerful kung-fu style kick that penetrated the door in one strike. She looked small but she packed a punch. The alarm blared, causing the dogs to go into anarchy. She quickly made her way around the broken door to the

security console and entered the pin to turn it off. Leah lugged the cumbersome dor to the side of the front deck and retrieved the temporoary door made for exactly this purpose from the entry closet. She installed it quickly, used to doing this by now (this was NOT the first time she had forgotten the key). Beginning to clean up the small bits and chunks of door that had broken away by her forcive entry, she wondered if the cops were even going to bother to come this time. this had, after all, happened quite often. The door could be replaced in no time as they had several door waiting to replace it (they had learned to keep them instead of having to go to the hardware store at least once a month). Besides, everything of worth was either locked up or could easily be replaced.


	3. Chapter 3

"Gibbs! Gibbs! They're gone!" Abby yelled as she rounded the corner of the bull pen, a frantic expression splayed across her face.

"Slow down, Abs. Who's gone?"

"The dogs, Gibbs! I locked them up before came up to talk to you earlier and had my little outburst and-"

"Abby, Abby! She left," He cut her off, trying to calm her down.

"What?" she threw a utterly baffled look into her scheme of usual expressions. Abby looked almost as if he wasn't speaking English but Aztec or some other dead language.

"She left in a hurry right after your crying spell," he whispered in her ear as he hugged her to him. Some new probies, witnessing the scene, wondered if they were together.

"So that's who was on the phone..." she mumbled and calmed down. "Could you tell me next time?"

"Sorry," he stated blandly as he sipped his coffee. He turned to leave; he had places to be, such as MTAC. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, the white fibers caught on the root are a specific, tightly woven weave of cotton, commonly used in choir gowns and priest's robes." Gibbs gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Thank you, Abs."

Tony and Ziva drove into the circular drive of Silverstein Labs and CO.

"He was acting awfully suspicious," she shifted to get out of the car.

"Do you think maybe he did it?"

"No," he smoothly slid on his shades, gleaming in the dim sunlight. "He's a scientist and the tox came back completely negative, _and_ the killer was fe-male," he exaggerated the first syllable of the gender, much the same way that he did for Ziva's name. "Besides, he seemed genuinely suprised when we informed him his knife was in a murder investigation.

"True," she stated as they passed through the revolving door into a green marble lobby with white and gold accents. Security guards eyed the two with suspicion and curiousity. Ziva's nine mil peeked out from under her beige, suede jacket. Slowly and cautiously, the officers slunk to the agents wom hadn't even stopped at the front desk to check in.

"Excuse me, Miss. We're going to have to ask-," Ziva flashed her badge.

"Ziva David, NCIS. We're here on official business pertaining to a homicide." He looked at the badge, squinting, then to her and back at the badge once more. Not once in his 5 years of working this post had he ever heard of NCIS. But the badge didn't lie; they were really here on official buisness. He waved them on ahead.

"Go on... I guess."

Tony strutted into the secretary's office as if he owned the place.

"Good afternoon - Hey! Who the hell are you!?" she demanded. Tony was flipping a $200 vase in his hands, getting fingerprints on it, which, apparently, was getting on the nerves of the neatfreak secretary. He put it down slowly; his way of apologizing (although he would go back to this as soon as she turned her back probably).

"Tony Dinozzo, and my partner Ziva David," he state in an obnoxious, matter-of-factly way.

"We are here on a federal investigation. We need the security tapes from the cameras, which, we have been informed, hold the tapes themselves due to budget cuts for the security system. Where are they located?"

"On the shelf in his office." She stated taking calming breaths. She reminded him of a certain germaphobic agent, only this version had an anger management issue on top of it all. She still, however, wasn't very pleasant.

"We'll need the tapes."

"You can get them yourselves," she huffed. "You'll have to go to the record room if you want one older than four days ago, otherwise they're in the cameras, on top of the shelf."

"Onward, Ziva!" he kidded. She ignored him

"Thank you." Ziva pushed ahead of Tony as he nudged the heavy double, red oak doors. He shut them behind them and listened for the secretary to retake her seat. She muttered, presumably something uninteligeble, under her breath.

"Man, I'd hate to have to work with her everyday," he wandered aimlessly around the room, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He stopped when he saw the camera. It was positioned in plain sight, atop the tallest shelf of the tallest bookcase which was in front of the door. "Well that's hidden really well," he chuckled sarcastically.

"That could be an issue," she said as she stood gazing up at the small camera on top of the eleven foot shelf. She tested the shelves to inspect if they were climbable, her injured hand throbing under even the smallest amount of pressure. "Not steady enough to scale..." The case began to tip forward when she put any amount of weight on them. Ignoring her completely Tony began to mount the shelving unit. Despite her efforts to keep it steady, the case shook violently as he made his way up. She tried desperately to make it remain upright by pushing it against the wall on one side with all her strength. Books commenced to topple off the shelves, but Tony, whose fingers were mere inches away from the camera, persisted.

His left hand, the one supporting him and keeping him on the unit, slipped from the sweat on his palm and digits. Tony plummeted to the floor, landing with a loud thump. Ziva was just powerful enough to keep the tilted bookcase itself from falling on him. Tony was pelted by falling books of various sizes; encylopedia volumes, chemistry magazines, all sorts of books.

Eventually, the weight of the enormous unit was more than even Ziva could bear. She was hunched over and buckling under the intence pressure. Tony staggered to his feet, a book or two more falling atop his shrunk as a rather large college dictionary knocked him off balance.

"Good idea!" he said to her, oblivious to her pain, "Keep it like that for a second, will ya." he refferred to the angle of the shelf being the perfect height for him to get the recorder off of its mount. He fumbled with the camera, trying to release it.

Her sweaty palms struggled to keep a grip on the finnished faux wood. Meanwhile managed to seperate camera from mount. Her fingers slid a bit more. Still, Tony was oblivious to her strain. Finally, her sore, streched muscles gave in, releasing the bookcase from her grasp. She did, however, react speedily, launching herself at him. She pushed him out of the path of the toppling tower that was the shelves. He groaned as Ziva's body was heavy on his chest and the impact had knocked the wind out of him. But she just might have saved them from being sqashed like a small bug. He glanced over her at the wreck of a shelf, shelves of cheap pressboard split in half. Boss would have his butt for this.

"Are you alright?" she huffed, adrenaline coursing through her vein even now. Ziva still lay on top of him, not wanting to get off. Her face was inches from his and she had to summon all the energy in her bones to resist temptation.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he moaned, "I just can't figure out why you're still on top of me,"

Outside the office, the secretary, having heard the commotion, decided upon checking in on them. She bargedin and was shocked to see that they looked as if they were...

"Ugh! Doing _that_ in someone else's office! Discusting! You people have no manners whatsoever!" She stormed out of the room, appauled at what she _thought_ she had seen.

"Great, just what we need. More bad impressions,"

"Well sor-ry for saving your donkey!" she said as she got to her feet.

"Ass, Zi-va. It's saving my ass. Pff donkey." He held his hand out expecting her to help him up.

"Whatever, get the tape and let's go," she folded her arms and marched out. Tony was confused as to what he had done to make her so mad. He hopped to his feet and searched for the camera. He spotted it a few feet fron the foot of the large desk. Picking it up with a cloth, he figured he'd take the whole thing; if it had been tampered with, they could get prints off of it. He was about to leave when it dawned on him to check and make sure that the tape was even there. It was in its place in the camera, so he placed it in an evidence bag and took one last glance around the chaotic room, shut the huge, stylized double doors and left the haphazard mess for the custodian.


	4. Chapter 4 onesided McNozzo

AN: from now on, I will be listing the major chapter pairing in the chapter title so as to warn as to just what you might be getting into. Also, as it states on my profile, the story will get less work related as it goes on.

"Mr. Aruss! We have a warrant! Open the door or we break it in!" They were back at the Aruss residence presenting a warrant to collect any helpful belongings of Virginia's.

"Was that really nessesary, Tony?" She was in a bit of a foul mood since she'd fallen on him and had had Tony rebuke her feelings, even if their appearance had been insanely subtle.

"Listen, Zi-va, I've dealt with his type before."

"And what type would that be?"

"Nerdy and noncompliant." He beat on the door some more.

"C'mon Barry! We know you're in there!"

"OK, OK! Wait a minute," he yelled from behind the thick, closed door. It opened to reveal a cherry-red Barry covered in nothing but a small, hot pink towel wrapped tightly around his waist.

"May I at least go put on some clothes first?"

"No. Where's your wife's brush? And don't say it's with her 'cause I saw it the first time I was here." he stated bluntly, pushing his way past him.

"The bathroom." Probie tripped his way in, lugging a heavy evidence kit along behind.

"This is no good for prints, Tony!" he yelled across the house, assuming they were interrogating Barry again as he inspected the ornate, Victorian brush.

"You don't have to yell, Tim. I'm right here." Tony came up behind him and headslapped him. McGee blushed ever so slightly at the contact. He wished Tony would call him by his first name more often.

"There's not a single hair on it. It's been practically sterilized." he spotted a dry, unused pink toothbrush next to a wet, recently used royal blue one. His and her toothbrushes. These were the type of people who gave other nerds and geeks like him a bad name.

"Might be able to match the DNA from the to toothbrush to the hair from the scene, though." He bagged and tagged.

"Good thinkin' Mc Probius," he squeezed McGee's shoulder. He turned sharply, bending down and picking up the kit quickly to hide his glowing blush.

"Ah, ah, ah, McGee. Senior field agent gets to drive. It's the back for you."

"Oh, right. Sorry." McGee moved to his left and Tony to his own right, resulting in them blocking each other from climbing into the van. They repeated this twice before he took a hold of McGee's shoulders and moved him the opposite way he was moving. He faintly smile-frowned as he sulked to his haven. For him, the back of the van was both a blessing and a curse. He was able to relieve himself of the constant uneasiness and pain of having to be around Tony, whom his crush on had been growing lately. Spring love annoyed him; crushes were always the worst in spring. At the same time, it also presented him with being tossed around like a ragdoll and the ability to let his mind run wild... which was also a blessing sometimes.

He tumbled around in the back as Tony ran over a bump on a back road. They really needed to put a seatbelt back there.

He heard ringing and Tony answering his phone.

"Hey McGoose! They got her. Hiding in the parish's preist's quarters. Apparently she's 'been on a retreat'. I think it was the priest planting evidence when he really did it."

"The priest, Tony?"

"Yeah, something just doesn't feel right about those beady little eyes."

"A puppet!"

"Yeah, they do kinda look like the beady little eyes on those creepy marrionette p-"

"No! She is being controlled. Like a puppet! Think about it. Gibbs said that all she has done since she's gotten to the base is sit huddled up and mumbled 'I only ever do what I am told'. It makes perfect sence!" They phoned Gibbs and told him. Father Kolemen was brought in and Virginia, who was not only pinned with murder but also with being incredibly impressionable to a serious fault, was sent to a psychologigal facility.

Timothy sat at his typewriter, writers block in full effect. He'd been stuck like this for a week now, ever since the beginning of spring, he realized. _Ever since my crushing grew madder. _he thought to himself. He wished desperately that there was someone would be trustworthy enough to tell. But he couldn't bring himself to spill to anyone; it was, after all, a _military_ base. They didn't seem to take too kindly to homosexuality. He didn't even feel comfortable enough to tell Abby. Tim felt alone, even more now with the fact he was yet another victim of the tradgety that was unrequited love.


	5. first encounter Abby and Leah

AN: in my little world, Jenny never died! Yaaaay! (I'm like Leah, I'm not allowed to drink soda and I just chugged a DR. P)

Abby rushed about her lab, working busily, taking vials from here to there. She loaded Major Mass Spec to maximum capacity and scurried to run some prints and other such tests. She kept hurrying about, untill, that is, she heard the faint kick-klack of highheels on the concrete of her lab floor. It was barely audible above the noisy shroud that was her music.

"Abby? Miss Sciuto?" Abby swivelled around to see Director Shephard with a worried, almost nervous, expression.

"Madame Director."

"Abby, what did I say about people calling me that?"

"Right, not to. What's up?"

"Abby, look at yourself. You haven't slept in days, you haven't eaten properly, you're overworking yourself, and I can't see the top of a single one of your desks and tables for the Caf-pows. Sweetie, you need to take a break, or at least accept an assistant-"

"No! I can't go through that again! You remember wha-"

"I think you'll like her. She actually reminds me of a miniature you. You might have even already met her; she's been in the building-" her phone cut her off there. She looked at the ID and rolled her eyes.

"I have to take this. She'll be here tommorrow. Stop worring. You'll love her, Abby, and she definately won't question your judgement. You'll have no problems with having her follow orders. She's quite proffessional." and with that note, She turned to leave, opening her cell as she did so and speaking in a calm, hushed tone. She attempted to work, but her mind kept flashing back to the memory of Charles AKA Chip, her lab in ruins, Caf-pow spilled and covering the floor. Since she wasn't getting any work done, she decided to head home.

Under the soft, cotton cover in her coffin, Abby found herself being plagued by vivid nightmares of her and her 'family's' lives being in jeopardy once more by her assistant. She awoke screaming 'Nooo' at the top of her lungs untill her throat burned, cold sweat drenching her thin tank top and shorts. She rose and went out to the kitchen. After splashing her face with tap water, she grabbed a beer from the fridge and settled down on the couch. She turned on the TV for some background noise.

The director had said she'd probably seen her before at the office

and that she might have even met her. Had she been a suspect? An assisting officer? She finally drifted off to sleep, this time, more peacefully, dreaming of whom the new chick might be.

She trudged into work the next morning, her feet dragging along in her clunky Demonia Stacks. (a type of boot. look it up.) Despite the fact that she'd eventually gotten some sleep, she certainly wasn't well rested. Turning her music on to an almost concert-like volume, she hoped to wake herself up. Just as she wondered where this new assistant of hers was, Director Shephard walked in. her lime green blaizer would have looked good on her any other day, but today, it just annoyed Abby.

"So, where is she?" she inquired grumpily, hanging her jacket up and donning the bleach white labcoat on the hook.

"Caught in traffic. Her driver took a wrong turn. Should'a just let her drive."

"Driver?"

"I came down to inform you a bit more on the whole situation. A: She's just been told her duties today. Heck, they haven't even told her where she's going yet. Her guardians are forcing her to do this so she'll get off her rich little ass. B: she's alot older than she looks. And I mean _alot_. She's actually older than you."

"Leah?"

"So you did meet! Good."

"Actually we just got to talk over the phone." She began to freak out inside but maintained her poker face. She still had that odd feeling about the girl she knew as a voice over the phone, that sensation of recognition. The feeling Leah was her Leah.

"C: she's not exactly _your_ assitant."

"What do you-"

"She's an assistant to anyone who needs her. But she'll mainly be shloping for Gibbs, Ducky, and you. Just keep a box of cordial cherry chocolates locked in your desk and you'll have her chocolate trained to cater to your every whim."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Chocolate is to her as Caf-pow is to you. She's like an obediant old dog. Loyal and eager to please, easy to treat train, and she even comes potty trained. You can teach her pretty much anything through the use of chocolates." Abby was sent into a fit of giggles at the older woman's similie. She froze when she suddenly realized that she'd been describing her highschool best friend.

"Abby, she's great. Stop worring. Both Jethro and I both know her personally, so does Ducky. She's a wonderful person. Gibbs would, has, trusted her with his life. Just know that she's a bit territorial and you shouldn't touch her chocolates unless she says you may. And don't give her soda or Caf-pow or she'll act like you after ten."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she joked, "Sounds like her..." she mumbled under her breath.

"She'll be down later."

Abs plopped down in her computer chair and scooted up to her desk, bringing out her small box of donughts. She selected a white icing covered one with rainbow sprinkles. She, however, no longer had the desire to scarf down her morning sprinkles. She was too nervous about meeting this Leah.

Leah's POV

"No, Jack, no! I am not gonna work here! I told you that it's too big of a chance of her being someone from my past. I can't risk it; I don't wanna move again... I actually like it here." Leah had liked no house before here. She was tired of moving every time she messed up or someone who looked remotely familiar of one of her past lives. She wasn't going to leave the place that gave her more happiness than she'd had in years.

"You have too! We're tire of you being secluded. You need to be around people more, Leah. You need to get out of the house more."

"We're worried about you, Leah. And we did a search. There is no Amy Abigail Scuito in D.C." knowing this made her feel a tad more secure. And anyhow, if it _had_ been _her_, she would have seen her in town before. Ianto, her other caretaker whom was driving, told the guard at the front gate that they were here to drop off Leah. The guard gave a suspicious look and called the director. He took a picture of Leah, whom was greatly annoyed that her limo had to be searched and that she had to move, and only after he got a reply saying it was her, did he wave them on. She really needed her ID.

_They should have mailed it to me right after I got the job._

She got out sluggishly at the front door, taking her precious time. The sooner she got fired the better. She entered the building and opened the letter of instructions they had given her.

_-go to director's office (Ask for directions if you don't know where it is)_

_-You have an appointment under your own name_

_-recieve your work schedule and orders and get to work_

_Love you,_

_Ianto and Jack_

"Wow, so complicated. I coulda figured that out myself... Idiots." she mumbled as she approached the front desk.

"Hey, Leah. You here to see Gibbs?" the elderly woman at the front desk asked.

"No, actually I work here now."

"Really? What job are you doing?"

"No idea. I was involuntarily volunteered... Might as well send word to the director that I'm here."

"Sure thing, go on ahead." Doloris had been at that position at that desk since before Gibbs worked at NCIS and remembered Leah well from the various time she had been there before. Leah walked slowly to the elevator, her hips moving slightly more than normal.

_Stupid dress pants..._ The fabric of her pants was not one typical of Leah and they made her itchy as all get out. Thus causing her funny gait. She really hoped she didn't have to share the elevator. Looking around to make sure no one was going to join her, she grabbed the first elevator that came and quickly hit the 'close doors' button.

Whew! Thank god! She proceeded to scratch every itch of her legs until they were red. She probably wouldn't get another chance to do this. Jack, obviously, had been the one to pick out the outfit. Ianto would have paid more attention to the fabrics and would have attempted to play on her 'cutie effect'. He'd most likely have been going for the 'business look. It was a fair try, nonetheless... for Jack at least. Why they couldn't let her choose was beyond her. She had tons of outfits that would suffice for a work outfit.

She exited the cabin on her designated floor. She pranced past the bull pen, attempting not to gain the attention of any of her favorite team.

team's POV

Tony double took as he saw Leah in a pair of pinstripe black pants and a black dress shirt with a white tie in stark contrast.

"Was that-?" Ziva looked over at where he was looking then glanced at the stairs, double taking as she herself saw the small woman/girl practically stomping up the stairs.

"Is that what you were..." she asked as she pointed weakly towards Leah as she vanished on her way to the director's office.

"Yeah... what's she doing here?"

"I do not know..."

"Hey, Gibbs, what's Leah doing here?" he yelled as Gibbs got off the elevator, with his usual cup of java in one hand and a curious steaming cup of something else in the other.

"She works here now." he set the cup down on Dinnozzo's desk as he sauntered by.

"Boss, you shouldn't have," He brought the cup to his lips only seconds before Gibbs replied.

"I didn't. It's hot chocolate... For Leah."

"Oh..."

Leah's POV

"Heya Cynthia..." Leah was about to pull a Gibbs move and just walk through the big double doors, but decided against it at the last minute. Working around Gibbs and the others might be kind of fun. She took a seat at the last seat, the one closest to the office. Cynthia had an astounded look displayed on her face.

"Wow, um, that's a first... You can go in." Leah threw an annoyed look, her eye twitching a bit.

"You mean I restrained myself from mimicing Gibbs for no reason?" She sighed and crossed her arms. Getting up, she pushed her way through the doors and stood in front of the director.

"I suppose I should call you director now, shouldn't I?"

"You don't have to... unless there's a suspect or someone of authority around."

"'Kay. Can I have my orders now... and maybe my identification for the gate?"

"Sure." she handed Leah her job decription and a walkie talkie.

"You'll be doing off little things for different departments. Don't worry, I made sure everyone knew not to pass you off as a coffee fetcher."

"Good, we all know how horrible my coffee is..." she laughed out.

"I like your coffee..." Gibbs had walked in silently.

"When did you-"

"A few seconds ago." Leah replied before he could open his mouth.

"You knew?"

"My hearing as good as, if not better, than your's, Gibbsy."

"Good, maybe we'll take you with us sometimes on an investigation."

"Yay, just make sure I eat before we go... make sure I eat alot."

"C'mon... I got you a hot chocolate."

"Awwww, thanks Gibbs." she took his arm and walked now with a bounce in her step.

"What's up with the formal attire?"

"Jack wanted me to look 'acceptable' and not like a kid..."

"Tell Jack that I said that you can wear whatever."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah,"

"Thank you!" she said relieved, "I'm gonna go change," she said as she turned to walk stiff-legged to the bathroom. She'd had enough of those pants to last a week.

"I'm back!" She skipped into the bullpen and picked her cup up with out asking.

"What would you have done if that wasn't yours?"

"I didn't peg you for a hot chocolate man, DiNozzo. I could smell the chocolate. I have a supersensitive nose." Her and Gibbs simultaneously took a sip.

"Wait, are you two-"

"Related? No." She bounced in her little black clogs the now present pigtails flopping around as she did so.

"Hyper, Leah?"

"Sorry... I ate alot of chocolate, more than usual, 'cause I didn't think I'd get many chances to snack. Speaking of that, I should probably read this now." she said as she opened the small envelope and gave the note a cursory glance.

_Turn the walkie talkie on and keep your cell phone on. Listen for orders. If you get multiple requests, start with the ones that seem the most important, especially those of Abby, Gibbs, and Ducky. I stuck a map in just in case._

As soon as she had finnished reading the note, Her cell rang.

"Leah here."

"Just seeing if you had it on."

"Gibbsy... I do get to call you that still, right?"

"I'd be scared if you didn't."

"Goody. Anything you guys need me to do... besides get coffee, unless, of course, you want Gibbs's tar."

"Actually, you picked a really quiet day to start. We only have filing to do, unless a call comes in."

"Sweet, what do you guys do around here when you aren't working?" They all looked at Gibbs.

"Fine, don't tell me. I'll come back when Gibbs isn't here. Go see Ducky. Maybe he can keep me busy." she chucked the cup over her shoulder as she left the bullpen; she was at least ten feet away. It landed square in Tony's basket.

"How did she do that?"

"Heya Duck!" She skipped into autopsy, glad that she had had that hot chocolate for a certain...weird purpose. She swung her arms from side to side, her black and white skirt moving with her.

"Got any work for me?"

"Yes, actually. Mr. Palmer go the bodies mixed up. Could you put on a pair of gloves and switch them. I want them in the order of the tatoos on their wrists. You know the Japanese number characters, right?"

"Yes, Ducky. I am the one who taught them to you."

"So you did. So you did." he grinned.

"Ichi to san or san to ichi?"

"One to three please."

"Ichi to san it is." Leah switched the bodies around so the men were in order of the characters of their tatoos.

"You know this reminds me of the time-" He was rudely interrupted by the phone. Leah's walkie talkie ordered her to the legal department.

"I'm afraid I must go, a case popped up."

"Yeah, same here, Apparently they're having trouble with their copiers and since I've had the same industrial copier for like ten years, Jenny decided to put me on it to save money. Is it Gibbs's case?"

"Indeed. Ah! There you are Mr. Palmer!" he was coming out of the elevator and Leah and Ducky grabbed each of his arms, taking him back where he'd come from; back into the elevator.

"We've got a scene to get to."

"Oh. Well hello, Leah."

"Palmer." she said coldly. They got off at their stop.

"I fear we must part my dear girl."

"I'll be down later." she smiled as the doorslid shut with a sfff. She felt lonely and suddenly was shocked at how she was lonely when she'd had more human contact than she'd had in ages. They were growing on her. She now thought that maybe Ianto was right. She did need people. She just hoped this didn't end badly.

Everyone, except for Abby and including Leah, were in the morgue.

"Leah, to Abby, please." Leah froze.

"O-o-oK," she stammered, gently taking the vials in her firm grasp.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing..."

"What's up?"

"I've yet to go into her lab or een see her. From what you guys have told me, she reminds me alot of... my fiance`...ex-fiance`. And..." She began to tear up but fought them back.

"Like I said, it's nothing. I'll get over it."

"Wait a second. You said _she._ Oh ho ho!" The comment earned him a succession of headslaps and...

"TONY!" ...a joint scolding.

"So I'm bisexual, get over it..."

"Honestly, Tony! This only proves that I, the one everyone says is deviod of emotion and feelings, have more feelings than you! You are so insensitive. You can see she's having a hard time with this." Ziva gave him a hard time.

"So why don't you want to go to the lab? Don't you want to check her out? you two would get along gr-"

"DiNozzo! There's probably a reason behind the 'ex' part."

"It's fine Gibbs. In all honesty, Tony the existence of your Abby has made my job all the more painful."

"How so, my dear girl?" Ducky sympathized by rubbing her back to soothe her.

"Like I said, She's alot like my fiance` was. My fiance` from my past life, that is."

"Past life?"

"I keep having o move because some one who thinks me to be dead moves into town or I accidentaly hurt someone or something like that. Anyway, She was in my original life. Unlike all the rest of the lives I've lived, I actually was dying that time. She probably felt as though I died in her arms, too. Most likely thinks it was her fault... Your friend has brought back bad memories. And I'm scared that she'll remind me too much of her and I'll just break down..."

"Come, I will go with you."

"Thanks, Ziva... I lied."

"About what?"

"Her being my fiance`. We already had a partnership..."

"What happened?..."

"People were coming for me because of my genes... The ones that keep me young. They would have killed her to get to me... Jack found me and warned me, he has the gene, too. I faked my death so she would be safe, so they wouldn't kill her. It worked; she didn't die, but I've lived my life not knowing what would have happened to us and what did happen to her. I tried to monitor her from a far for the first few years, but she dropped off the map about seven years ago."

"Let's go." Ziva felt oddly caring for this girl... woman, it was funny to think that she was older than her yet looked so devastatingly young. She also often acted like a child still, but with an air of wisdom and maturity about her. She made a mental note that she had never seen he genuinly smiling around anyone but Gibbs and Ducky. She smiled around others, sure, but Ziva could tell it was usually forced. She was sad and in need of someone special. It didn't take a genius to figure that out.

"You are going to love her. She likes the loud music like you and she has this hilarious stuffed hippo that-"

"Farts?"

"Yes! How did you know?" Leah gulped.

"Now I have a _really_ bad feeling."

"Why is that?"

"When I died, she buried her scraggly favorite stuffed, farting, hippo with me. A few weeks after I was supposedly buried, I sent her a new, identical one witha a card that said 'Sorry for your loss, love your secret admirer'." Ziva smiled warmly at this as they exited the elevator, which Ziva didn't even remember getting into.

"I'm probably worried over nothing, aren't I?"

"Probably," she reassured her, although it didn't seem to be working. They entered the lab, Ziva first and Leah not far behind following slowly and cautiously. Leah came into Abby's full view. Her and Abs froze, staring at each other as if they'd each seen a ghost.

"Oh shit... Jack is _not_ going to like this."

"What? What is wrong with you two?"

"This is impossible," Abby whispered. She backed away, instictively blindly searched the table for Bert, and, finding him, hugged her to him. No one laughed at his flatulant antics.

"This is impossible," she reiterated, louder this time.

"I was right to be nervous about meeting her, Ziva." She messed with the ring on her ring finger. Her wedding band.

"You died a year out of highschool...This can't be..." She took a step towards Leah. Leah, keeping her head bowed, stepped back to match the space between them a few seconds before. "Don't, please... Don't make it harder on me. I know you've changed... I'm not stupid. I know we could never be the same as we were before..." She be gan to tremble violently.

"You never got over me, did you?" Leah's tremors grew more turbulent, still. She shook her head faintly.

"Excuse me." She bolted from the room, running at top sppeed to the stairwell.

"You are her... Were her..." Abs nodded at the statement which was meant more to be a question.

"She told you." It was Ziva's turn to nod.

"What was that shaking about?"

"She's always done that when she's holding back from doing something, when she holds in anger or laughter, or... tears." She hugged Bert even closer. She noticed the sparkling of her diamond ring set especially for her in a black band with scroling and skulls. She had just happened to put it on this morning, having felt an unceasing urge to do so the previous night. Abby started mall walking and gained speed, running for the one place she knew Leah would go. Unlike Abby, Leah preferred stairwells to elevators.

Leah ran up several flights of stairs sobbing as she went. She collapsed, finally, and sobbed, causing torrents of tears and herself to breathe erraticly. Tony and McGee entered the stairwell. Initially, they were unware of her. But they couldn't exactly be ignorant to her presence for long.

"I bet they-... Are you alright Leah?!" He asked, suddenly worried about her. He closed the few meters between them and sat down beside them.

"I...I hurt your feelings didn't I?" she shook her head slightly, wiping at her sodden cheeks. Gibbs walked by the doors, glancing at the scene as he passed. He backed up and entered the stairwell, coming to her side.

"What happened?" He wrispered in her ear as he hugged her to him like he did Abby.

"She's th-"

"Leah! You might as well come out. I know your in here. You always fled to the stairwell when you wanted to be alone to cry. Leah!?" Abby yelled as she mounted the stairs. She trudged up the stairs in her platforms, huffing and puffing as she went.

"It's the same Abby, isn't it, Leah?" she nodded and huddled further into the embrace. The water works started up again. Abby stopped at the at the peak of the flight as she gained her breath back. She looked for a long moment, once again trying to take in the fact that Leah was not dead. It was a fact she'd accepted for a good ten years. Once she got over it, she took mere seconds to launch herself at the petite girl, shoving a somewhat startled Gibbs out of the way. She hugged her like a long lost friend or family member.

"Sorry, couldn't help but hug you. You are _not_ leaving this time. You can_ not _put me through that again." She squeezed her, her own eyeliner smearing all over her face as tears streamed down her face.

"I might have to, Kitten. But rest assured, I _will_ fight him the whole way."


	6. Chapter 6 LeahxAbby

Ch. 6

"She's not coming in, Abby," The director's kind, caring voice floated over the area pretty well deserted, barely registering in her brain. She turned her head to face the voice. Director Shephard was standing in the doorway to the building. Abby stood still, unmoving from the same spot she had been waiting at for Leah for the past hour, now.

"Her handler, Jack, called. She won't be working here anymore,"

"What!? Why!?"

"Because there's a few people left who want her and they aren't afraid to hurt you to get to her,"

"I don't care! All I care about is that we get to be together again! They _can't_ take me away from her again! No! They _can't_ take her away. Not again..." she yelled, her voice quavering unsteadily.

"They have to. It's for your own saftey, Abby. She called, too. Says she wants me to put you into protective custody for a while."

"I risk my life everyday I come to work as it is. Why can't I add just a bit more on to that danger level as long as it makes me happy. What difference does it make if she's here or not? I'll still be in danger."

"The people who are after her aren't amatures like the ones you've had to deal with, Abby, and if they don't kill you, Jack'll do it. Or he'll hire someone on their side."

"Leah wouldn't-"

"Leah wouldn't have to consent. She would have no say in it whatsoever; they wouldn't tell her. If you're lucky, they'll erase the past day from your mind. Then again amnesiac drugs aren't all that reliable. Too much and your whole life would be gone," She approached the ten-year-old adult, speaking sternly.

"Nuh-uh. She wouldn't stand for it!"

"Wouldn't have to,"

"But-"

"Abby, go work on something, take your mind off things. I'm going to do my best to get her back. You aren't the only one who wants her back. Gibbs is absolutely pissed."

"Bring her back, Jenny. Please... I _need_ her now." she hugged the director frantically.

"I'll try,"

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Abby entered her lab and stared at the walkie talkie that sat, laughing at her, on her desk. She wished desperately that she couldsimply call Leah on the device and she would come running. She got the idea of tracking Jenny's phone and rushing to leah's side. But she had the feeling, a gut feeling, that going to her house would not go over all that well. That it would only get her killed sooner.

She fought back memories of their past together. Them falling asleep by the fire. Her own mother's knowing smile as they all sat at the table eating. Her and Leah lying on her sofa, snuggling, watching gorey horror movies. Their... first time together. Other happy memories flashed vividly through her mind. She was unable to to handle the pain and weight of remembering and thus slumped to the floor in front of her desk. Bad memories began to intermingle with the pleasant. She recolllected Leah tripping down the stairs and her occasional requirement of a cane. She reminisced every fight and quarrel. Tears once again soaked her shirt and face.

"You gonna be okay, Abs?" Gibbs appeared out of nowhere and, sauntering over, embraced her. He wiped away the wet drops decorating her face. She shook her head. She longed only for the one thing in life. Someone she'd gone without for years now. She wanted only Leah. If there was one thing Abby was sure of anymore, it was that she needed Leah, wether or not they were the same as they used to be.

"Don't worry. I'll bring her back if I kill myself doing it."

"Don't. Then who'd keep her keepers away?" she joked half-heartedly."Thanks, Gibbs." She dried her face, daubing at it with a sleeve. She rose, wobbling, to her feet.

"Maybe lose the boots..." she looked down at the three inch platforms and slipped out of them, shivering slightly at the chill of her feet on the hard concrete floor beneath her stocking feet.

"Good idea." she smiled weakly.

"Good. Now get processing that evidence!" He grinned and jabbed a rough finger at the pile of items on the evidence table. She was glad Jethro was so good at lightening up a dire situation.

She blindly picked up one of the two large cups on the table. having taken a sip, she winced slightly in disgust at the taste of the cold, now bitter hot chocolate she'd gotten for Leah. She chucked it in the trash bin and picked up the caf-pow shed gotten for herself, which she found was luke warm but slurped it down nonetheless. She walked wobbily over to the computer and started to process the evidence.

Her thoughts drifted back to Leah. A single tear welled in the corner of her eye, threatening to fall. She supressed it. She had to stay strong. She had to be strong to get herself through this. She had to be strong, if only for Leah. Leah whom, no matter how remote she seemed towards most people (Gibbs and company usually excluded), was undoubtably crying her eyes out to the point of dehydration if she'd been told the bad news.

She had said that she would fight her handlers, to the deathif nessesary, for them to be reunited once more and Abby belived her. She'd never lied to her before. Abby was the one person in the world Leah _couldn't_ lie to. She had to believe she was coming back, that at any moment, she would merrily skip through the door pigtails bouncing behind her. This hope would fuel her. Yet, in the back of her head, there was a voice practically screaming that she might never return.

Leah awoke from her tear enduced slumber. She attempted to move but found her ankles and wrists bound with rough nylon rope. She struggled to free herself from the fluffy red down-feather covers enveloping her at current but to no avail. She felt eyes on her, but they were kind, piteous eyes.

"Ianto! You get your little British ass over here right this second and untie me!" she wriggled about, distraught."I'm going to be late for work!"

"You already are," he said as he walked slowly to the side of the bed and sat down to lay a comforting hand on her head.

"Untie me. _Now_!"

"I can't. Jack's told me not to and I'm on the clock so-"

"You work for me, too. And since when do you take his orders before mine? Now, I said-"

"You know you can't go back to work. Jack told you that last night," she suddenly stopped resisting.

"I know," mixed feelings, most of all anger and sorrow, rose within her. "But I have to!" she said resolutely as she thrashed around violently. Rolling of the bed, she landed at an awkward angle, the coustom bed and matress being coffin-shaped and all. She twisted around and brought a small, presisionary dagger out from under the bed and cut the boundings in one swift, continuous movement.

"I know I told you guys I like to be tied up and all, but that's only when Abs is doing it. Speaking of which, how di you guys tie me up without-" The look she'd seen on his face the previous night as he served her her dinner suddenly made sence.

"You spiked my wine!"

"It was the steak sauce, actually."

"Where's Jack?" She asked, subtly glancing around the room for an escape route as she released her ankles_. Maybe I should have put a window in my room after all._ She thought to herself.

"On his way to erase the past day."

"So he's doing it himself. How long has he been gone?" She hopped to her feet and rubbed her raw wrists. Ianto drew his pistol.

"Only a little while, huh? Let me guess, something along the lines of not alowed to let me leave your sight, right?"

"Something like that," he replied alert and jittery. They both knew tht if it came down to a fight, even if he was the one with the gun, leah would be able to beat his butt to a pulp easily.

"I'm not alowed to let you leave the room."

"Well then, he's going to be cleaning up the crap."

"What crap?"

"I have to go to the bathroom, Ianto. I always have to go when I first wake up. You know that." He stood his ground for a few long seconds before he let his judgement waver and gave in.

"Very well," he waved his gun toward the door. She exited the room and headed down the hall towards the guest rooms' hall.

"Leah, Earth to Leah. Your bathroom is right across the hall from your rooms. Where are you going?" he followed

"It stinks in there. I'm going to one of the guest's rooms to use one of their bathrooms."

"OK..." he trailed a long ways back behind her. She entered the smallest of the rooms at the very end of the hall and through to the adjascent bathroom. She shut and bolted the door, slamming it in his face.

"You can't come with me you perv." she said through the door to a swearing Ianto (whom was not perverted and was actually quite shy). Aparently, he'd hit his nose on the door and was cursing Jack's orders. Near silently, she opened the window and removed the screen.

"Why are you opening the window?" she mentally scolded herself for not turning on the noisy fan first.

"I think it's gonna be a dusey and I don't thing the fan's gonna cut it."

"Whatever." She turned the fan on and poured some mouthwash into the toilet to simulate the pee before the dump. She smirked as she peered out at and found her plan to be panning out. A trellis for climbing roses and Ivy adorned this whole side of the house, seperating only for the windows. She gingerly eased herself out the window and latched to the vines' guide and the vines themselves. Quickly, she began to descend the lattice. A few feet down, she heard Ianto beconing, the door being kicked in, and saw his head breifly pop out the window.

She was going to stop Jack. Then she would go to work. Go to Abby.

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She tightened Jack's shackles. She'd caught up with him and had him tied up in the back of his own SUV/van.

"I'm not going to let you take me from her grasp again. Knowing where she is and not being able to be with her would be agonizing torture of the highest level. It would drive me insane. And unlike her, you can't erase my memory for risk of me losing all of it. Memory drugs _are_ unreliable.

"Yeah, well, what happens they use her to get to you?"

"I'll protect her." she retaliated.

"You can't always be there."

"I can't, but Gibbs will be."

"Fine, whatever!can we atleast talk about this?"

"Sure," she smirked.

"And _untie me_!"

"Not gonna happen. I woke up tied with nylon rope. The only one allowed to tie me up is one Miss Abby Sciuto."


	7. Chapter 7 Leahxabby and fatherly gibbs

Ch 7

"You'd be putting her in danger, you know."

"Yeah... but I think it's what she'd want me to do."

"Well, we'll have to make some arrangements and take some precautions-"

"Do what you must," she pushed dismissively. She rushed out of the room, hurrying to the multi-car garage. She cleared the Ferrari of every weapon and suspicious object; they most likely wouldn't let her on the navy yard with them. Then it hit her. How was she to protect Abby if she had no means of weaponry? Not that she couldn't kill with her bare hands.

She called Jenny. She was shocked to hear from her at all, let alone to hear that she was coming in to work. She recieved permission to pack a dagger. She jogged down the glass tunnel connecting the garage to the house. She reopened the hotrod red door a crack, thinking. Too flashy. She didn't want to atract too much attention. She glanced around around at her many options, most of which were _very_ flashy. Her eyes finally settled on the Harley Davidson. She undid her pigtails, put on her kitty eared helmet, and straddled the seat. She revved and kicked off speeding off on her way to work.

It had been a whole week since Leah had come to work for the first and 'last' time. Abby had silently relinquished herself to the fact that Leah likely would never return. This fact of life tore her apart inside, but she resolved that she would not let it beat her . She would find Leah. She would talk to Leah. She would bring her back into her life.

"There's less to search this time." she mumbled to the guards at the gate, refferring to her showing up in a stretch limo last time which had to be thouroughly searched. Finding the dagger at her thigh, she told them to call the director for conformation of her permission to carry a weapon.

She parked in her designated spot and entered the building, making sure her attendance was recorded. She nervously went into the elevator and, after a few minutes hesitation, pressed the button for the lab's level. Releasing a deep, long-held breath as the doors opened, she stepped out and, in a circumspect manner, rounded the corner.

_Sffff._ Abby heard the elevator doors open and close again. She drew in a sharp breath, hoping it was Leah.

_It's probably just Gibbs. (did I really just think that?)_ She thought to herself. _Why do I insist on believing it's her. I have to kill this hope before it kills me. Wait, it pretty much already has... She. Is. Not. Coming_.

She turned back to the search she'd been running. Of course. It would be too obvious to have the house under her name; her pursuers would find her too easily were that the case. It could be under the name 'Jack', but there were a hundred Jacks in the tri-state area alone.

She heard the soft pit-pat of purposefully soft footsteps. Turning, she gasped at the timid, questioning face staring back at her with caution. She gawked, rubbing her eyes fervently to see if she was halucinating. Unbelieving of the the girl in the threashhold, she surmounted her nervousness and stepped forth. Her hand went out to the pale face that was more pale in pallor than everyone elses' except her own. She felt Leah's breath hitch as her fingertips made contact with her cheek, feeling her clammy skin to verify that she was indeed really here. Leah, no doubt, took it a different way.

"Leah, I didn't mean it l-"

"I know, Abs, I know. We can't be the same way we used to be; you've changed and I'll respect that." She could see the sorrow in the deep blue eyes.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's fine."

"What are you doing here," she changed the subject." Not that I don't love you being here. I do. It's just that Director Shephard said you wouldn't be coming back and they've had me in protective custody. I don't know how much more of crashing at McGee's I can take. They said your handler would have me killed or have me brainwashed. That-" she said, nearing hysterics.

"Shh. Shh. I know. I know," she hugged her to her. "You know I would never let him do anything to hurt you. But we need to talk. Buisness. My house, after work. Hope you like baked ham."

"But I don't know your-"

"Try 'Ianto Jones' in your search," she nodded towards the computer. When Abby had her back turned to her as she search the name, Leah, silently and with out Abby's knowing, slunk to the desk and fetched her talkie, exiting silently.

"Leah!" Tony said, stunned. "We all heard you wouldn't be coming back."

"Well, Gibbs was the one working to bring her back."

"Mmmm..." Tim joined in. Gibbs strode in and was suddenly elated.

"Leah!-"

"Gibbs!" she yelled sternly, not happy to say in the least. She slapped him upside the head as he so often did to to his team, leaving him a bit confused.

"Loads of help you were! I had to bail myself out! Do you know what lengths had to go to?"

"Leah," he barked, "I don't appreciate you embarrasing me in front of my team." He sent that searing, patented 'Gibbs glare' flying her way. She held her ground, unflinching.

"Unlike them, I don't submit to that bit, _Jethro._ I'm the only one. Franks even gives in to it ocassionally. You can't break _me_." He suddenly saw the great hint of sadness and pain in her eyes.

"Leah, what's wrong?"

"There's noth-"

"Elevator. Now." He dragged her by the wrist, her resisting feebly. They entered. The doors shut. As soon as they were in between floors, he flipped the stop switch.

"What's wrong?"

"No-"

"And _don't_ say nothng." she slumped to the floor of the car, the blueish lights dancing in her moistening eyes.

"Fine... I'm upset because me and Abby can't be the way we used to be. She's... changed her ways a bit and since i can't have what I want and can't take it out on her, I took it out on you. I'm sorry, Gibbs." A single tear fell to the dirty carpeted floor. He knelt at her side.

"It's fine, Leah. You can take it out in me as much as you want."

"Thank. I suppose you are used to it, the second 'B' standing for bastard, and all. I just hoped that we could go right back to where we were back then. Stupid wish... But as long as my being here makes her happy, I'll stay. Just seeing her smile and knowing I'm the cause of it is enough for me."

"You sure?" He was sad for her, but also was scared somewhat that Leah would lose conntrol of her herself and give into her lust.

"Yeah, I know you'd kill me if I ever hurt her. She'll always be the favorite."

"Hey-"

"It's fine. Between me and her, she's my favorite, too." Gibbs gave her one last squeeze before flipping the switch.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Comment for God's sakes! Why won't you comment!?... Please comment?**

Ch 8

"Leah!" Abby called out to the figure in the elevator as the doors began to close. Leah snapped out of her daze and stopped them before they shut completely, holding the car for her.

"Why don't we both ride together in your car?"

"Abby, I drove my Harley. You're wearing a supermini skirt. Wouldn't want to be the cause of any traffic accidents, now would we?"

"Then how about my car."

"Did I mention it's a super expensive coustom Harley?" Abs was silent. Leah was relieved at her not protesting; she didn't think she could handle Abby's arms wrapped around her.

"You should follow me so you don't get lost."

"And what makes you think I'll get lost?"

"The dark, winding, country roads to my house don't have streetlights and can be tricky if you aren't familiar with them. _I_ even got lost the first few times."

"Good point..."

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Leah waited to see the hearse pull up behind her. Once she did, she slowly puttered out of the garage. She knew Abby was not a reckless driver like Gibbs or Ziva. Abs honker her horn to signal for her to get a move on. She smirked and popped a wheelie as she sped off. She tore off after her.

The streets were relatively empty as it was around 1:00 AM. They went further into the country and Abby was both amazed by both the beauty and creepyness of the ancient trees along the old worn road. Ha, she who hugs vampires, afraid of dark trees. She saw a faint light glowing from within the forest and spilling onto the pavement. Leah turned into the main source of the incandescence, dissapearing for a moment before she herself turned. She was awed by the sheer grandure of the mansion before her. Leah had gotten off her bike and was pressing the code into the console on the right side of the gigantic wrought iron gates. They swung open and an emmence flock of dogs of assorted breeds thronged around her to greet her. She once again straddled the seat and reved the throttle to get them to back off. All of them virtually ignored Abby, except one, which, she presumed, was Akita. The large, wolf like form was shrouded in shadows, illuminated only by the dim light that reached her in the shadow of the hearse, was somehow unmistakeable. Akita trotted alongside the car, leading her to park in the circle drive while Leah steered towards the garage. Abby heard her pawing the door. She slid out of the seat and into the crisp, January air where she was lead up to the large double doors by the pack of sniffing noses. The prim, neat, yet seemingly wild, gardens were illuminated by the limelight of the large spotlights that focused on the middle of the house, in between the windows of the two floors. She felt a tug on her skirt, one weaker yet similar to the one caused by Akita at the office. Looking down around her feet, she found a small Yorkie with slightly tousled fur, brandishing a single, full, red rose.

"Boston!" Leah said with a whine, "I didn't bring her home from a date."

"Aww... sooo cute! You have your dogs trained to bring roses to your dates?"

"Not exactly. Akira taught them, I think. Remember how she used to rip apart my Mom's plants all the time to bring you the perfect flower?" As soon as it was mentioned, Abby faintly remembered the pup bringing a random flower from the garden whenever she picked Leah up to 'go to the mall' as they told their seemingly oblvious parents.

"She must be mistaking business for us being together again." Leah chuckled, the sadness, however, was unhideable. The satement stung for a second deep within Abs, but was quickly dismissed. Leah had no sooner walked in the foyer and hung their jackets, and her cell rang.

"Are you in the house?" Ianto asked urgently, his breath ragged and panting, but not from a pleasureable cause.

"Yeah, why?"

"Criss smells her, he's not in the basement, and he is not happy. He's going berserk,"

"Shit," she looked around, at a loss of what to do as she feared for Abby's life. Criss was her most violent dog. Most of the time, he was locked in the basement, or more commonly reffered to, the dungeon. The other dogs steered clear of him. The only one that he remotely got along with at all, possibly even respected or felt threatened by in the least, was Boston. This was slightly humorous (okay, maybe really funny) because Boston was a Teacup Yorkshire terrier with just a bit more attitude than the usual 'larger than life' attitude that was norm for terriers, while Criss was 205 pounds and was near pure wolf accept for the slight touches of Border Collie and German Shephard. Leah heard a shout and several crashes coming from the kennel room.

"He's coming!" Ianto shouted though the phone, which wasn't at her ear. She listened from the entryway to Jack, barely audible over the frequent banging noises, yelling at Ianto to shut the door. But it was too late. She could hear the pouning of paws on carpet as and the deep, gutteral snarls rising from the big black dog storming towards them.

They both froze, stunned with fear untill, at the last minute, Leah turned and caught him by the collar when he was less than a foot away from sinking his large canines into her pale calf. The heavy chain collar dug into her hand hand painfully as she swung him away from her. Yanking quite brutally on the collar, she yelled at him furiously. The angry words all meshed together in Abby's head. She'd never seen Leah this mad. Ianto dragged her into the dining room and Jack followed, his hands gushing blood from a deep bite. They closed the doors behind them.

"Stay here," he rushed to the kitchen to get a first-aid kit. She was stunned. Was Leah not the same person she'd known so long ago? Ianto saw the fear and worry in her eyes and assured her.

"She's still the same girl as when you were younger. She's just... noot as happy. She would never actually _harm _ at him like that is the only thing that seems to get him to behave. Yanking on his collar like that doesn't hurt him; he has a metal plate there. And even if it did hurt him, it would be better than you."

"He listens to no one, except her occasionally, and he hates people. Especially new ones. If you came again, he'd only grumble and growl a bit. It's my fault. I'm the one who forgot to put him in the dungeon," Jack explained, wincing as Ianto bandaged his hand.

"Dungeon?"

"We put him in the dungeon since he doesn't get along with the others. He has his own little territory."

"But you have a _dungeon_!" she asked excitedly.

"Whad\'d you expect? Leah designed the place."

"She designed it?"

"Yeah, she didn't tell you?"

"She didn't even tell me she owned a mansion let alone that she designed it. All I knew was that she had a place in the country." Leah barged in the room, ending the conversation.

"Are you okay, Abs?" she began to scan her frantically for scratches.

"You're worried about me?! Look at Jack!- wait, you are Jack, right, 'cause I just assumed-"

"You're right. And I'm sorry, Leah. It's-"

"Just don't let it happen again."

"Y-yes ma'am..." He had the same, questioning look as a young child expecting to be scolded.

"Ianto, could you go ask chef how much longer before dinner is ready and get a bottle of wine?"

"Number 320 or 5?"

"Five, We don't want to talk buisiness with a drunk guest, right?"

"Of course not." he chuckled as he exited to the kitchen.

"You put him up? Or did you just stick him outside with the others?"

"If I put him outside, don't you think he would have come in one of the doggy doors?"

"Downstairs, then." She shot him a 'don't get cocky' look and went back to Abby.

"Down to business." she pulled the seat across from herself at the extensive cherrywood table for Abs.

"You know what I do for a living and about my rare gene, so I assume you can imagine why I would be a valuable person to seize."

"To harness the gene, right? Kinda like the man in the yellow suit from _Tuck Everlasting_ wanting to find the spring."

"Exactly. On top of being my own personal fountain of youth, It downgrades illness and speeds up healing processes, too. Everyone gets a bad bought of strep throat, I get a sore throat and cough. I get a big blue purple bruise or a small gash, it heals in half the time it should, so you can stop worrying about Jack. Let's just say he's older than he looks."

"Hey! Don't give all my secrets away!"

"I see why you guys would be hunted."

"Abs, they-"

"I know, I know, they might try to use me to get to you. Don't worry, I won't give you away."

"I'm not worried about you giving me away, I'm worried about what they'll do to you to try to get information out of you and what they'll do when they're done with you. They will kill you." Abby rolled her eyes.

"I'm hunted all the time now. I have a stalker or two. I've had a couple of attempts on my life. I doubt it can get much worse."

"You don't understand, Abs. Those were novice's attempts compared to these guys. They're....like.... Ziva on steroids."

"So what do I do?"

"Keep your cell with you at all times. Put me and Jack on your speed dial. check who's at the door before you open it. If anyone suspicious pops up on our radar, we'll warn you. If you want, I'll get you a bodyguard,"

"Could you get me someone for like when I go to parties and stuff, but have you protect me at work?"

"Sure. We'll give you a picture of him so if you see anyone who isn't him following you, you can tell us. And if you do see anyone, _you tell us immediately._"

"Okay."

"Or, if you just want to talk," Jack handed her a business card," Don't be afraid to call... day or night," he added with a flirtatious smile. A few of the dogs sent low warning his way.

"Obviously, there's still a bit of confusion." she said as she put a bit of salve on her raw hands where she'd been gripping the chain collar. She went over to the wall and removed a LCD screen remote (one of the ones for in a smart house) from it's base. She hit a series of buttons. Suddenly, herds of dogs headed towards the hall Criss had charged from earlier. A flood of mutts and purebreds alike rushed through the doggy doors.

"There's so many..."

"I rescued alot of them from being unnessesarily euthanized."

"I see you called them for dinner." Ianto walked in and put the bottle of Leah's hand-made _Wolf # 5_ red wine.

"Not just called for. Served, too. I fixed the remote auto-feeder last night."

"You mean I hand-served all that kibble this morning for nothing?"

"Sorry... forgot to tell you..." Ianto opened his mouth to protest, but Chef walked in carying a huge platter with an equally large ham.

"Mmmmm... you Mom's recipe?"

"First thing I had Chef learn,"


	9. Chapter 9 All couples

AN: I need comments people! They are the fuel that keeps da word engine goin'! Lolz. And sorry that this chapter is so choppy. It seems even more choppy because a few of my friends asked me to seperate times and POVs. Sorry also that it came so late at night, too.

All couples are revealed or hinted at in this chapter. Mentions of kink (I think) and a masturbation. enjoy!

Ch 9

A month had gone by since Leah had started her role as errand girl at NCIS and it was now February. Abby Found herself going to parties and such less and less often. she was too busy hanging out with Leah and McGee, going to the dogpark, movies, and just hanging out in general. She found herself just looking for chances and excuses to see her.

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Abby tossed and turned and she struggled to find a comfortable spot so she could get to sleep. She brought herself to a sitting position in her coffin. Swinging her legs over the side, she slid out , falling immediately when she tried to walk. The silky black blankets had wrapped themselves around her legs and she hadn't felt them there because her legs were almost completely numb. SHe un tangled herself and stood leaning against the casket for support as the blood rushed back down into her extremities. She headed to the kitchenette of her tiny, one-room apartment and fetched a beer from the fridge. Settled on the couch, she downed the liquor in a single gulp and drifted into a light, non-refreshing slumber.

Bright light streamed into the room, burning her eyes. She blinked and, although she couldn't see yet, registered that she was not alone in the room. There was someone in the chair across the room. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. When she could see clearly, she saw Leah in her tight black pants sitting cross legged in the chair, smiling at her sweetly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Good morning sleepyhead. You're late for work."

"What!?" she picked up the clock. It read 12:00 PM. The tear soaked pillow beneath her caught her attention.

"I called you this morning to see if you wanted a ride into work. When you didn't pick up after a few times, I got worried."

"Why didn't you wake me up? And how did you get in here?"

"I was worried so I picked the lock. I figured if you had been kidnapped that you wouldn't mind and I _did _try to wake you up. Several times.

"You should have gone in."

"I called Gibbs to tell him it was a false alarm and he told me to tell you that we might as well not bother on coming in. There's no work to be done." Abby began to rise to go to te restroom. She looked in the mirror. Her face was red and blotchy from crying. Why_ had _she been crying? The sudden realization hit her like a mallet. Could she possibly like Leak again? That couldn't be it. She, after all, hadn't thought of another girl in the romantic sence for years, where as, when she met Leah, she thought that way all the time. But all her thoughts _had_ been memories of them togther as a couple. Other instances of her absentmindedly thinking of the girl like that or peeking glances of her popped into her head and were explained. She decided to make absolutely sure of her feelings before taking action on them. Leah was a very sensitive person when it came to relationships. She wanted to make sure she was in fact falling back in love with the petite, child-sized woman grabbling a large Caf-Pow from her fridge that hadn't been there last night. Abby guessed she'd gotten it for her while she waited for her to wake up.

"We should go in anyway. Better late than never. We can bug our favorite agents." Abs suggested to get her mind off the subject.

"Sure, let's drive our favorite very special agents up the wall," She smirked.

"I'll wait in the living room while you go get ready."

"Kay," she slipped on a pair of fitting, plaid bondage pants and a plain black tee. She did her make up, attempting to cover up all evidence of her tears. Plastering her typical 'Abby Sciuto' smile on her face, she steeled herself for a painfully slow day.

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"Soooo... WHat were you dreaming about?"

"When?"

"This morning. You looked happy, but you were crying..."

"Oh, nothing..."

"Whatever." Leah smiled, spun back around, andwent back to aging Palmer on McGee's aging program. Abby couldn't help but sneak a glance at Leah's butt.

_God her ass looks cute in those tight pants_. She forced herself to stop.

Tony listened in on Ziva's conversation.

"Bye sexy, see you on Saturday~" she purred before hanging up.

"So... you have plans for Valentine's day. I didn't know the Jewish celebrated the holiday. Good for you."

"Yoiu have a date?" She rolled her eyes, playing along wiht his prompt.

"Yeah,"

"You are not going to gloat?"

"I was going to spare you, but since you asked, She'd a total babe. Brunette, shock blue eyes, even tan, great smile... a total hottie. Smart and has a sence of humor."

"Sounds like your last girlfriend."

Crossed the line, Ziva." in reallity, he was bluffing to cover up the jealousy brimming his thoughts. His real plans involved him sitting alone on his couch with a bucket of Ben and Jerry's watching hour after hour of movies. It annoyed him that Ziva had someone to be with on 'the lovers' holiday'.

Ziva's plan was working. She'd set up a date with a guy working at her favorite coffee shop. She, personally had no intrest in the man. He was simply a ploy in her plot to make Tony jealous. And it was working. She had openly made personal calls to the man in front of Tony over and over throughout the day and she could sence the envy burning inside him.

"So what are you and this 'hot babe' of yours going to do?"

"Dinner, maybe a movie...at my place, maybe leading up to other activities..." Ziva snorted. She was seventy percent sure he was lying and was in fact going to be alone, but it bugged her nonetheless.

Valentine's night

McGee watched from his desk as crowds of people filed into the elevator, gloating to each other about their romantic plans for the evening. Sighing, he decided to go down and see Abby before she left.

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"Hey McGee! What are you doing here?" asked she as she put on a heavy choker that looked like something the slaves would have come over from Africa wearing.

"Of course, you have plans, too."

"I uh, don't officially have plans yet. I haven't gotten up the guts to ask out who I wanna spend the night with."

"You? Shy?"

"It's someone I really like. And I don't want them ending up getting hurt... I really care about..."

"They the one?"

"I think so, maybe."

"Good for you, Abs." he smiled. He wished that he could ask the one he loved out on a date tonight.

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He looked around for Leah as he exited the elevator. She hadn't been in the elevator so he presumed she was still running around the building doing errands for various departments. He knew well enough that she didn't have plans as the only one she'd ever loved was a no-go, too and decided to wait till she came and said goodnight as she often did. Maybe they could go out to a bar somewhere and be miserable together.

Gibbs had agonized over this for weeks now. He had never been any good at the whole Valentines thing, let alone the fact that those had all been women and this time it was a man that he liked. He'd settle on a simple letter. No flowers, no candies, nothing that screamed 'gay'. He strategically placed the small envelope on the ledge of the computer screen where prying eyes wouldn't think to look and only the one he wanted to read it would see it. He knew his feelings wouldn't be returned.

_Who would want to love _me_? The whole second b is for basterd after all... _But the man he loved was just so damn _cute_ that he had to let himself be known. Even if he didn't know who the letter was from.

"Hey Leah," McGee sat at his desk, flipping the envelope back and forth in his hands.

"Wazzat?"

"I dunno, I found it here on my desk?"

"Oh. Well here you go." she shoved a small box in his face. He blankly stared at the little red box with its intricate bow of black, cuorduroy ribbon.

"Open it!" He did as she bid him and found a delicious looking, gooey, double chocolate chip cookie in the shape of a heart.

"Ianto and I made them. Well, I helped a little. I have one for everyone."

"Thanks, are you the one-"

"-that gave you that letter? wasn't me. If it was you'd be able to see my red and black stationary through that envelope. Aren't you going to open it and see what it says?" she asked, her interest officially piqued. He picked it back up, having set it aside to open the present. He slowly broke the seal and gingerly opened the paper inside. The not was written on a sheet of pristine, plain, white notebook paper. It seemed last minute, but at the same time, looked too clean and prim to be such.

_McGee,_

_I see the pain you feel every day. I see the way you look at him. Know that you are love. This note is your proof._

_Happy Valentines day,_

_Your admirer_

"The hand writing and style of speech look familiar."

"A suspect's?" she asked, knowing well who the writing belonged to.

"No, I don't think so."

"Eat your cookie McGee and don't let it get to you." she said as she left the bull pen.

"Actually," she ran back, "Could you give these to Gibbs, Ziva, and... shit I left Tony's in the lab! Just give these two to Ziva and Gibbsy first. They have their names on them. I'll be right back with the third one for Tony."

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"Who are those from... or for!"

"They're for Ziva and Gibbs from Leah."

"What? None for me?" Well then I'll just have to..." he plucked a random box off the desk, not knowing they were labled. He felt left out again as he had when Ziva hadn't invited him to dinner that time whe she'd started, like he wasn't in with the new girl.

"Tony-" He had scarfed the cookie down before Tim could warn him.

"Dinozzo!" Leah ran over to him, clearly furious, and slapped him. And not on the back of the head as per usual, but on the cheek.

"That was for Gibbs!" She yelled as she picked up a piece of torn wrapping paper and showed him the tiny, elegant writing on it.

"What is going on here?" Ziva and Gibbs walked in.

"Here, Ziva. This is for you." she handed her her box and handed the one she'd retrieved from the lab to Jethro.

"Gibbsy,"

"Is this...?"

"Ianto's delux double choco heaven cookies."

"This is delectable, Leah!" Ziva exclaimed as she bit off another piece of her cookie. Gibbs uncharacteristically began shredding the paper on the box, faintly resembling a chold on christmas.

"You can have that one since Dinozzo_ ate yours_." She folded her arms and glared as she stomped over to Tony.

"Speaking of which, C'mon. Since I know you don't have a date tonight, you don't mind if I take up a few minuted of your time, do you?" She pulled him by the ear to the mens room. They all heard her yelling as she kicked him in the butt

"No cookies for you!"

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"God, Tony. What'd she do to you?" McGee asked as Tony stumbled into the bullpen.

"She did some fancy kick and punched me in the gut to make me puke her cookie back up."

"God,"

"Yeah, I've been in there for the past ten minutes trying to get the taste out of my mouth."

"That's what you get for eating my cookie, Dinozzo!" he slapped kim extra hard upsid the head as he left.

"Who knew boss could get so worked up over a cookie."

"Leah came back while you were in the bathroom to explain herself. Apparently, she's sent one to him every year since they worked on a case a long time ago."

"And, it was made in the batch that Abb's came from,"

"Meaning there was more love put into it. To him, it was probably kinda like if you kept him from taking Abby to dinner the night before her birthday. It's something special for him."

"Plus it meant alot to Leah to give it to him."

"Wow, so much fuss over a little cookie. Granted, it was a damn good one."

"Figures you wouldn't understand. I think It's sweet how she looks up to him like a dad."

"They even have similar eyes. I wonder..."

"They are a completely different hue."

"Besides, Tony, She's like Abby. I doubt she'd flirt with him like she does sometimes if she were his daughter.

Not being with Leah killed Abby. It had been bothering her for weeks on end and had crippled her till she could stand it no longer.

"Leah!" she glomped her as the elevator doors opened.

"I've been looking all over for you!"

"I was up with the team..."

"Let's go see a movie."

"Tonight?"

"Duh tonight!"

"But-"

"But what?"

"It's Valentine's Day..."

"So? C'mon!"

"But-"

"No buts!" she grabbed the small hand and pulled her to her hearse.

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"We shouldn't be here. We shouldn't be doing this."

"Why?"

"It's Valentine's, Abs! People probably think we're a couple!"

"On a date at a horror flick? Right..." she asked.

"We're both Goth, Abby. Most normal people would assume we would go to a blood and guts type movie for a date. Y'know, steriotypers?"

"Oh! It's starting!" She settled down and munched on her popcorn. Leah looked around. The room was nearly vacant except a few single guys strewn across the room and a couple up in front who were already making out. They seemed as though they chose the movie more on the fact that the theater would have less people than what it was about.

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A steamy sex sccene was in the process on the screen and Leah could take it no longer. The characters' synced movements as they stripped each other of their clothes made Leah sweat. She wanted to cry. She had developed an avoidance of movies and, in some cases, TV to avoid sex and romances. Seeing couples erked her when she couldn't hold Abby in her arms as she once had. She had to release some of this tension. She checked to see if Abby was into the scene. She was focused on the screen completely. Leah unzipped her pants and checked to make sure the woman next to her didn't notice. She proceded to sticka few of her own fingers down her pants...

"Leah, would you stop masturbating! We're in a theater... and it's kinda turning me on..." Leah blushed a tomato red in the darkness.

"I-i was not..."

"Like hell you weren't! Your fingers are even wet!" she chuckled . Leah shrunk down in her seat. They both got quiet and went back to the movie. Abby leaned over towards Leah whom was zipping up her pants.

"Hey leah?"

"Mmm?" She looked up frm the movie. Abby suddenly leaned in closer to her face.

" I can't stop thinking about you, about how we used to be... about... us. I still like you. I still like like you and I really want to go back to the way that we used to be." At first it took leah a second to grasp what exactly she was hearing. When she finally assimilated it, all she could do was lean in the few mere inches between the two of them and kiss her gently and sweetly on the lips. It wasn't much but it got the message across.

"I never stopped thinking about you, Abs... never. Quite frankly, I'm borderline stalker." Abby smirked at this.

"Now you're really starting to sound like the guys I usually date.

Feed back is appreciated.... especially since I haven't really gotten much...


	10. Chapter 10 AxL McGibbs

Chapter contains foul language and a sex scene. Read at your own risk.

ch 10

Leah sighed yet again. According to Abby, February was a slow month for NCIS due to how well the bodies are preserved in the cold. She hated to admit it, but she really wanted someone to commit a murder right about now. She randomly swiveled around the lab in the rolling chair to stave off utter boredom.

"Sooo..."

"What do you want, Leah?" Abby turned in her chair to face her shorter counterpart.

"I'm bored..."

"And? What do you want me to do about it?" Leah had to do something soon, or she'd be all over Abby for all the security men to see in hi-definition via suveilance cameras.

"I dunno..." she said as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders from behind. "Wanna... do somethin'?"

"Like what?" she asked warily.

"Y'know..." she said as she nuzzled into her neck. To the guards, it would seem she was simply giving Abby a hug, which they were both known for giving. It had now been a week since they'd started going out and they hadn't done the dirty deed yet (they skipped the dating stage since they'd already done it so long ago and neither had changed much). In the past, Abby had seduced her and gotten her into bed only minutes after they'd shared their first kiss.

"Leah!"

"What...? It's not like we have work we're supposed to be doing..." she messed with the lacey fringe at the neck of Abby's shirt.

"We can't! The guards would see..."

"We could find somewhere else..."

"No!" Leah decided to give up before she made Abby really mad at her. She hated nothing worse than that.

"Okay, okay..." she released her and was about to go see Gibbs when Abby got up and walked toward the door.

"I'ma see what the Bossman is up to..." she murmured without lookng back.

"Shit. five days into our relationship and I'm already screwing up." She felt extremely guilty for pushing Abby. She wanted to get back to the way things used to be, but didn't want to hurt her in the process so as to make it not last. It looked as though getting there would take some time this time around. She went to the fridge and got out her skulls and roses lunchtin although it was only 9:00 in the morning. She took out the package of juice, poked the straw through the hole on the top, and sucked on her applejuce slowly, something she never did.

________________________________________________________________

"Hey guys!" Abby said, trying to sound chipper like her usual self. Gibbs seemed to be the only one who noticed te sad undertone in her voice. "What'cha doin'?"

"filling," Ziva replied.

"Same," Dinnozzo added.

"Beatin' my Tetris score... " Gibbs had a look of pure concentration as he squinted at the tiny cell phone screen. McGee stared at a small envelope endlessly, as if she wasn't there at all.

"What's up with Tim?" she asked Gibbs.

"Dunno," his tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth in frustration.

"What's that Tim?"

"Whut? Huh? Oh, uh, nothing."

"He's been staring at it all morning." Dinozzo added as he came up behind him, his interest piqued. "What is it, McProbius? A Loooooove letter?"

"Piss off, Tony..."

"It is! Isn't it!?" Tony lunged for the letter to which Tim responded to by kicking him in the nuts. _That's the closest I'll ever get to his... stop thinking like that!_ He cursed under his breath.

"Ungh... so... who's it from?" Tony moaned, clutching his sensitivities.

"Don't know, Tony. It's anonymous." He wondered if it might be Tony pulling a prank... But then why would it say that he _'saw how he looked at_ him'?

"The writing looks familiar but I can't place it..."

"Lemme see it!" Abby squealed. She grabbed the note from his clutches only for him to snatch it right back.

"I don't want you to see it..."

"Fine then..." she pouted. "Come down to my lab later." She headed for the elevator. "Why do you not want even me to know, Timmy?" she muttered to herself as she entered the lift.

____________________________________________________________________

Tim hit the button on the copier and sat down while it worked. The machine dinged and he picked up the original first, then the copy with its many gaps. He'd copied the note, setting paper over the parts he didn't want anyone to see. He stuffed the note in his coat pocket and headed down to the lab.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Abby... sorry- oh, is abby not here?" Tim said as he entered the lab.

"No, she left a while ago after I kinda... upset her."

"Upset...?

"I made her mad. I did not make her cry, Tim. I know Gibbs's rules. Did you need her specifically, or can I help you?"

"Uh, You can, I suppose. I need you to do a handwriting match on this." he handed her the copy.

"That love letter still getting to you, huh, McGee."

"...Yeah."

"Can do." She looked at the note, filling in the blanks from memory. Leah felt hurt that Jethro wouldn't trust her with his secret. They were practically family. And he should have known that she wouldn't judge him. So why hide? Then she remembered he was a cheauvanist marine. "I'll, uh, call you when I get some results."

"Results on what?" Abby cut in, as she walked in with a new Caf-Pow.

"He wants us to run the handwiting on his little loooove letter."

"Don't be mean, Leah."

"I was just teasing, and he knows I would never intentionally hurt him... you do know that, right?" she ran over and hugged him around the waist.

"Of course," he replied as he hugged back. Abby looked a bit jealous. "I have to go. See you guys..." he left in a rush.

"He's embarrassed by the note. I'll run it. He'd probably want me to since I've already seen it."

"Okay, I'll leave you to that. I'm going to... take a nap." After Abby left to the other room, she threw the paper in the trash. _It's what Gibbs would want me to do..._

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Have you got a match?" Tim asked as he propped himself up against a table.

"No, I've done every possible database and no dice."

"None? No... possible matches, partials...?"

"None."

"Okay..." He turned to leave. "Thanks anyway." He turned the corner and bumped into Abby.

"Heya, McGee!" she chirped and then slurped.

"Nothing, just checking up to see if there was a match."

"And?" Tim glanced into the lab and pulled Abby a ways from the door.

"Abby, something weird is up. I got that letter on Valentine's and I asked around. No one went near my desk except the rest of the team and the cleaning room. The person who wrote it knows my MOAS and the writing looks familiar. But Leah says she didn't get a match after running every imaginable test."

"I'll check it out." Abby walked in, McGee following. He sat on the Evidence Table, seemingly waiting for Abby to finnish something on the computer. Leah had her feet propped up on the table, her everpresent candy bar in hand and sketchbook on her lap.

"Let's go Timmy!" Abby hurried out the door, pulling him, tripping along behind her.

"So?"

"You're definately right. I checked to see if any handwriting matches were made and I found nothing. She never ran them McGee. But _why_..."

"I dunno,"

"Do you still have it?"

"Uh... yeah. Just let me make you a copy."

"I'm gonna scan it and give it right back, McGee."

"I don't want you to see parts of it."

"Why?"

"Because... it involves my MOAS."

"Aww, c'mon. You can trust me..."

"No, Abs."

"Fine, Let me see it and cover up the part with your secret."

"Sure." he took out the sheet of paper and unfolded it. He held it up, showing only the first line."

"That's all your giving me to work with?" She asked before looking at it. Abby showed a slight look of shock for but a moment before covering it up. Tim thought he might have been imagining it. She knew now why Leah had pretended to run it. Leah knew who the note's author was, and Abby only had to glance at the scribbly writing to know just whom it belonged to.

"Deja vu... but I can't place it either."

"Damn!" McGee stormed off to the elevator. It was dominating his thoughts, taking over his life. He needed to find out who wrote the note.

_________________________________________________________________________

Abby went and got a chocolate milkshake and a Caf-Pow. She returned to the lab with the beverages and shut the door with her foot.

"Leah, we need to talk."

"Oh God, it's bad; you closed the door. Is it about what I did this m-"

"It's about the love letter."

"I'm guessing you weren't checking your e-mail when McGee was waiting for you."

"Yeah."

"So you know that I faked my search."

"I know _why_, too." They waited a moment in silence before Launching into a heated rant.

"Why would he not tell us!? We're the closest he has to family and he _knows_ we don't judge on those things!"

"And we've seen Gay marines before! God! why did he have to be such a cheauvanist!"

"It does make sence, though. He doesn't want people staring at him cause he likes men even though he doesn't mind them staring out of spite of his bastard personality. It's the navy, after all. Known for its _manly _men. Wants to protect his reputation."

"True, but we need to talk to him. What he did is messing with Tim's _life_."

______________________________________________________________________

Jethro paced beside the cabin of his near finnished boat. He was not usually one to do this, but he was worried about Timothy. It obviously bothered the younger agentand now the others were getting nosey. The last thing he wanted to do was reveal the secret of the one he loved. He _hoped_ that it was McGee's secret. Gibbs was 99% sure that Tim was gay or bisexual, but there was still that 1% chance he wasn't.

He took a swig of bourbon to calm his frantic nerves. News of gay marines would would spread fast. He didn't want to have people discusted by him. He wanted them pissed at him. Gibbs wondered if the the girls knew yet or not. This thought was interrupted by the irritating, high-pitched ringing of his landline.

"Why did you leave!? Get down here! Its... an emergency." Abby yelled into the speaker, feinting urgency. Not wanting to give him the chance to object, she hung up immediately.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Abs!?" he yelled frantically as he barged into the lab. "Where are you!? What's the emergency!?" He heard the door slam shut behind him. He whipped around, gun drawn, to find Leah guarding the door with her arms crossed and an unamused expression displayed on her fair face.

"Leah! What the hell is goin' on here!? You didn't-"

"Didn't what, Jethro!? Didn't keep secrets?! No, Gibbs, I didn't. Why the fuck did you!?" His mouth flapped open and shut like a landed fish.

"We know you meant well, but the note's affected Timmy. It's ruling his life. You either have to tell him or frame someone else. Or... something!"

"It's affecting his work. You've recreated your worst nightmare in the real world and now you have to fix it." He remained silent.

"Maybe he'll give up if you order him to..." Abby thought optimistically out loud.

"I sure hope he's as obedient as usual." he spoke for the first time since Leah'd chewed him out. "That's what I like about him. Obedient and always willing to learn."

"Just like a puppy..." Abby added randomly. "Sorry, seven Caf-Pows today." Gibbs gave her his 'I'm worried' look.

"Don't worry. I've made sure she won't get anymore and I made sure she ate something to cancel some of the caffeine so she won't OD."

"Good..."

"Try it. Get some sleep. You'll need to get McGee straightened out tomorrow when he'll be vulnerable from lack of rest."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Gooood morning Boss," Tony said cheerfully. Gibbs only scowled in responce. McGee walked out of the elevator and entered the bullpen groggily with dark shadows under his eyes.

"Geez, mcGoose, you look terrible. Lose sleep over that note your obsessed with?"

"Shut up Tony."

"MahGee! Elevator!" the bossman barked, nodding his head sideways at the lift. Tim sighed and headed back towards it without even putting up his stuff. They entered side by side and McGee felt strangely uncaring about getting yelled at as the switch was flipped.

_I need to stop with this note business. It is taking over._

"You've seemed a bit destracted lately, McGee. Let the damn note thing outta your head, or so help me god, I will tear you apart!" he said, his voice escalating at the end.

Y-yes Si- Boss" He glared at the man when he almost called him 'sir'. Gibbs could tell probie was back in his usual mind set.

________________________________________________________________

"I hope it goes well... " Abby paced in the lab. She slirped up the end of her third caf-Pow of the day and it was only 8:00 AM. She was anxious to see how it went between the two.

"I got him back to normal." Gibbs surprised her on the video comfrence. Abby looked at autopsy in the background.

"Duck's not in yet. Not coming in either."

"Good, I'm glad he's okay now."Gibbs had hung up, though.

"I'm glad that's over,"

"For now..."

"Yeah, I want another."

"Take it easy, Abs. I can't have you ODing."

"Relax, half the day is over."

"No, it isn't. It's 9:00 babe."

"Oh..." The day passed and they were still quite awkward around each other since the episode they'd had yesterday. Abby went to the machine as Leah had fallen asleep.

Abby headed back to the lab and slurped slowly and quietly so she wouldn't wake the sleeping goth whom had been lounged in the desk chair the last time she'd seen her. She wasn't in the chair, however when she came in this time. She dismissed it quickly.

"Abby has to pee," she said, talking to herself in the third reason for some inane reason (probably the caffiene). She rushed to the bathroom. Speeding into the stall, she did her buisness quickly and came out relieved. She heard a flush behind her. Turning around to go to the papertowel dispenser, she bumped straight into Leah.

"Oh! sorry!" Abs chirped hyperly. Too many Caf- Pows...

"No, It's my fault," she smiled back weakly, "Listen Abs, I'm sorry for yesterday. I got way ahead of myself. I-"

"Put a sock in it, Leah," she grinned. She glanced around the spacious bathroom. Locating a chair at the powder station, she jammed it under the door as a sort of makeshift lock. Leah, raised an eyebrow.

"Abby-"

"I forgive you, Leah~" she purred, backing her up against a wall. "Now, finish what you sarted in the lab."

"Abby, I don't think we should-" She was cut off by Abby's lips upon hers. She could no longer resist. She wrapped her arms around her official girlfriend's neck. Unbuckling them, she grappled with her six-inch platform boots while still passionately kissing her. Finally slipping out of them, she shivered slightly as her wide-gauge fishnet stockinged feet met the icy cold floor. Abby, meanwhile, worked on her own boots with an obvious amount of ease; this wasn't the first time that she'd had to remove intricate boots while her lips were occupied. Leah loosened her grip on Abby as they worked on unbuttoning each others' tops. They slid to the floor. Inside their mouths, tongues struggled for dominance. Leah's hands roamed Abby's torso.

While her smaller lover's sweaty palms grazed her body, she unlaced the corset like lacing on the skirt around the small waist she was recently gripping. She had it loose enough to rip off in no time at all and did so promptly. Her fingers caressed the baby-soft skin of the smaller woman's thighs as she pulled her closer. As she felt Leah undoing her bra, she removed hers with haste. Abby removed her lips from her assitant's to take a in breath. As she did so, she took a moment to take in the black frilly bra Leah was stripping.

"Mmmmm~ cute yet sexy~,"she purred. Leah back arched as Abby massaged her hips.

"I thought you would like that." Their lips met once more before Abby began to trace her tongue down her partner's jawline, then over the collarbone, and finally the breast. She suckled her nipple. Leah moaned and wove her hand into the dark, midnight black hair that was no longer in pigtails.

_When did we take those out? _she wondered. The thought left immediately as Abby's tongue went on the move again. It trailed all the way down to her naval, then to her groin. She left a thin trail of saliva everywhere she went. She traced the groin again before spreading her legs more in order to make her entrance.

"So, fingers or toungue~"

"You don't remember?" Leah chuckled with a slight, hurt undertone.

"Right." Abby shoved a few fingers in, going slow at first, growing faster and harder steadily. They tossed around on the floor for a good hour. As they lay on the floor, cooling down, they wer silent untill the silence was broken by Abby.

"Let's go back to the lab before someone notices."

"They probably heard you screaming." Leah replied heartily.

"Let's take a nap _together_ when we go back."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leah felt Abby fall off the futon a bit. She sat up and gazed at the intriguingly adorable woman as she slept peacefully. She loved her as much as she always had and was overjoyed to find that she loved her back.

"I love you Abigail Sciuto." she whispered into her ear as she rolled abby onto the thin matress. She gave Abby the majority of the covers, settling on only having the edge. She shivered from the cold concrete below her. Although she was freezing, she didn't care. She was laying next to the woman she loved and always would.


	11. LxA onesided MGXT onesided MGXG

chapter 11

"Hey..." Abby ran a loving hand through Leah's reddish brown locks. They were just now waking up from their nap after their exploits in the bathroom.

"Morning," Leah moaned, yawning as she rubbed her eyes.

"More like afternoon. It's 1:00. Why are you on the floor?"

"I kept pushing you off and I didn't want to make you freeze." Abby simply smiled at how Leah was being so selfless toward her.

_She always was a good girlfriend._ They lay in silence for a few moments, staring up at the celing together, before Leah turned towards Abby and snuggled up to her. Her head lay on Abby's collarbone, her arms wrapped warmly around Abby's waist.

"Why did you change your name?"

"Wha-?"

"Your original full name was Amy Abigail Sciuto. When I came that first time, I searched it, but with no results."

"It was my Grammy that named me Amy. She died right after I was born. No one ever called me that, except maybe Granpa, and you. Everytime I wrote it on a check, it reminded me of you and it got to the point where it hurt too bad. So I changed it." She paused and staired at Leah dark, russet hair. It'd showed up for work on Monday with Leah, shocking everyone. "Why did you dye your hair?"

"After that Saturday I was happier than I'd been in forever. Felt like a new person. New girl, New hair. Besides, you liked it when I dyed it this color in highschool, so I figured that I might as well bring it back. Kinda a sentiment to our previous and new love."

"They aren't seperate, y'know. The loves. I never stopped loving you."

"I know."

"I wonder if Gibbs is turned on by it."

"Our love?"

"No, your hair. He does love red heads," she chuckled. Leah went as white as a ghost.

"I never thought about it..."

"Don't worry! I was kidding. It's more brown than red."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Besides, if he was, he wouldn't act on it. If he did, I'd kill him personally for you."

"You'd kill _your_ Gibbs to defend me, Panda?"

"Yes, Kitten, I would." The doors swished open and shut, silent to them in thier oblivious state. They jumped at the booming voice of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"Where the hell have you two been!?"

"Here..." Only Leah was convincing. Abby couldn't have convinced a mouse that she wasn't of their species with the guilty look on her face.

"We have been searching the whole building bottom to top looking for you." Ziva entered nearly as quietly behind him.

"Top to bottom."

"What does the order matter?"

"Stop avoiding the question and don't lie this time! Where were you!?"

"We were here the whole time..."

"I said to stop lying!"

"I believe they were in the bathroom."

"And why would you think that?"

"The doors were blocked when I tried to check for them in there, and I do not think there is a lock on that door. Also, there were reports of moans and smooching noises from the people going to and from the evidence garage and lockup." They officially did not like Ziva. Gibbs turned to the two of them and stared peircingly. They still lay close beside one another on the floor, Abby cowering behind the blanket. He knew they had a past and no doubt suspected they were back together again. Abby decided to be the bigger person for once and stand up to him enough to come clean.

"So we had sex! Big deal! It's not like we're in love Gibbs," The words stung and burned Leah like ten thousand suns, scorching skin and bones, turning them to ash. The simple sentence charred her heart so that it was flaky, broken, and black as night, unable to muster enough energy to writhe in the agony it truly brought her.

"Abs, I'm not blind. I saw the way you were looking at each other." They simply gazed at one another, Abby's liqiud pools of green and Leah's soothing circlets of blue, melding together.

"_Look _at us, Jethro... we were _made _for each other. We've been able to say 'the hell with what people think' and have overcome the huge differences! It's _love_! We can't help it..." Leah slouched into Abby's oddly muscular arms.

"And you have to admit Gibbs, they _are_ quite a cute couple..." Ziva added, attempting to reconcile her friendship with the two after what she'd divulged to Gibbs.

"And don't even try to spring rule number twelve on us 'cause we aren't technically your team."

"Don't let me catch you trying anything at work again!" he bagan to stalk off, but they voiced a complaint.

"Well, give us something to do!"

"Go watch the clouds or something, compare tattoos! I don't know!"

"Gibbs!" they whined in unison. He rolled his eyes.

"...Don't get caught..." They smirked at this. They had _permission_ from the Boss to have _sex_ at work.

"And if you _ever_ hurt her in _any_ way, Leah-!"

"You're worried about me, Gibbs!?" she asked, incredulous at the fact he thought that _Leah _would hurt _her_.

"What would you do if I hurt her!?"

"You? Abby Sciuto? Hurt anyone?" Ziva had always thought she'd been incapable of the uttered act.

"It was always me who hurt her, picking at every little flaw."

"You?" Abby nodded.

"I refused to let go and leave every time, though. We always pulled through." She looked up at her lifelong lover from the embrace encirling her.

"Just don't let it interfere with your work..." he added brusquely, storming out and leaving the uncomfortable conversation behind. The two girls he'd always thought of as daughters, were in love. With each other.

"That... went... better than expected." Abby squeezed her girlfriend close.

___________________________________________________

Leah and Gibbs were back on good terms. Abby was happier than ever which pleased him; if Abs was happy, he was too. She entered the bullpen to bug the living nitemare out of her favorite, silver-haired agent. Instead of him, She found McGee laying his head on his arms. His face expressed inner turmoil and depression.

"What's up McGee?"

"Nothing. Everyone's gone to catch the baddie and I was left here to stay and do paperwork. Which I finnished... forever ago.

"I meant what's eating you."

"Whad'you mean? I'm fine."

"I can see it in your eyes, McGiggles. What's up. You can tell me..."

"It's nothing." Leah decided to give up. That he'd never submit his innermost feelings if she kept prodding him. She pretended to give up.

"Whatever. Just know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. And if I ever did blab, I'd cry myself to sleep for betraying you." She shuffled behind him in her big stack 308's and wrapped him in an awkward hug.

"You'd cry yourself to sleep?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"I don't make friends very easily, believe it or not, so when I hurt one, it hurts me." She began to walk away, slowly, of course, so as to give him time to change his mind.

"Wait." Leah silently smirked. She wipied it off her face before turning on her heels. She pranced back to her desk and cradled her head in her hands supporting them with her elbows on the desk.

"Yes, McGee?" she smiled faintly.

"I'll tell you, but not here..."

"Then where?" Elevator?"

"No... too... Gibbs. and confined."

"Does Abby know this little secret?"

"No, at least, I didn't _tell_ her. Knowing her, though, she prob'ly figured it out."

"So the lab is out." She wrinkled her nse in concentration of thought.

"Lunch?" The sudden question snapped her out of her trance-like state.

"Huh?... sorry, spaced out trying to think of a place to go."

"I asked you if you wanted to go to lunch."

"Oh! where are you taking me?" She perked up and grinned. She resembled a small dog, pigtails in place of perked up puppy ears.

"Deli sound good?"

"You read my mind. She looped her arm through his. Tim hoped Jethro didn't call; he felt better already knowing that he could trust someone enough to spill his gutts and he didn't want the sensation ruined by work. It felt good to have the chance to get this off his chest.

-------------------------------------------------

Leah sat down at a booth in the back with a chicken salad sandwich and a heaping serving of ceasar salad. McGee had been more than willing to pay for her luinch so long as she heard out his problems and life issues.

"So, wha's efin' joo?" she manages to choke past a whopping mouthful of chickensalad sandwich, a bit of the juicy sauce dribbling down her chin. McGee tried to ingnore her slovenly eating habits.

_She's almost as bad as Tony..._

"Uh... Well...The thing is..." he atempted to begin. She shot him an unamused look as she swallowed.

"Spit it out."

"I like someone and that someone doesn't know I like him and I'm ninety-seven percent sure he doesn't feel the same, but I think the note might have been from him so it's challenging everything I thought I knew."

"He? I didn't know you were bisexual, Timmy. Now that you mention it, guess I could have picked up on the 'see the way you look at him' part of the note. Didn't even occur to me untill right now." He froze for a few second to assimilate just to what extent he'd blabbed his secret. He had only planned to tell her that he had a crush on the one he believed to have sent the note. He hadn't wanted to throw the words 'he' or 'him' into the mix, but once it all had started to flow out, he couldn't help but to let the torrent of words stream out. Leah's plain, unjudging face reassured him she wasn't going to judge him for being bisexual.

_It does make sence she wouldn't think any different of me since she and Abby..._

"Soooo? Who is he?" she goaded him on, grinning heartily. "Does he work at the base? Do I know him?" the anticipation was killing her. She was always very curious.

"Both..."

"Who?!!!" she chirped impatiently. He bowed his head and turned a deep shade of red. She began to worry that she'd gone too far and pushed too hard.

"Tim, It's OK. You don't have to tell me if you aren't ready." She heard him mumble something under his breath and she could have sworn it was 'Tony'.

"Did you just say..." he nodded sharply in responce, head still hung in shame and embarrassment.

"Aww. If I might say, you two would make an adorable couple." He turned even redder, if that was even possible.

"Sorry, bit of a yaoi fangirl."

"Yaoi?"

"Boy's love. You know what manga are, right?"

"Yeah. Japanese comicbooks. Graphic novels."

"Right. Yaoi is a sub-genre of shojo romances. It's so popular there that they even hold a seperate convention for it. I have tons of it. You can come over and read sometime if you want."

"No thanks, I'll pass."

"You sure? If you ever change your mind, just call and you can come over and read to your heart's content. There's plenty of it; a good part of the top level of the library to be exact."

"Thanks, I'm good."

"Whatever McG." She finnished her food and wiped fervently at her chin to rid it of the sauces and dressing.

"Shall we?" She offered her arm to him. Not having the heart to tell him yet that it was not Tony who had sent the missive, she resolutely made a promise to herself to tell him if he got anymore distracted at work.

"So. You feel any better?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"No problem. The truth will always set you free, Tim."

_______________________________________

As Tony slapped the cuffs on the accused, Gibbs spaced out. His mind was elsewhere. He wanted badly to tell Tim that the note was from him. That he loved him. His feelings were overwhelming. They gave new meaning to the marine saying 'Don't Ask. Don't tell.' But what would he do if Tim did ask? Would he keep his feelings to himself, or would he cave under the enormous pressure of the emotion known as love. Would he be able to give up his impressive, daunting reputation for the _possibility_ of love. A possibility that would likely end badly. Not to mention that no one took a gay guy seriously, let alone on a naval base. He walked in a dazed state over to the car and slid behind the wheel.

The last thing he wanted to do to the one he loved was hurt him, too. Everyone around him, it seemed, ended up hating him, hurt, or... dead. Why would anyone want to love him, anyway?

"Tony, take the wheel." he got out and got in the back seat.

"What? Are you sick, Boss? I thought you didn't get sick."

"I don't, Dinozzo. I just didn't get much sleep, last night." Tony and Ziva exchanged glances. They'd always assumed he didn't sleep, either. Gibbs curled up and closed his eyes.

______________________________________

The team minus Gibbs was gathered in the squad room.

"Is it just me, or does Boss seem off lately to you guys, too."

"Yeah, I think we're all a little off this month." everyone huddled in silence for a moment untill Gibbs neared and they all dispersed back ot their appropriet desks.

"What are you three scheming about _now_?"

"Nothing, Boss." they all said hurriedly.


	12. Chapter 12 Tiva

CH 12!!!

AN- I copied the idea for the first part from episode 5x05 "Leap of Faith". I did not come up with the concept. All rights to said idea go to whoever came up with it for NCIS. Also, this chapter contains a sex scene. read at your own risk. Spoilers for George of the Jungle (the movie), "Boxed In" 3x12, and 3x08 "Under covers"

"Tony! Give me the phone! Delete that or else!"

"Or what, McLadderhugger?" The two thrashed around on the couch at the therapists office. Tony had taken a picture of tim as he clung to a ladder earlier in the mission. He was mildly afraid of heights. Ok, alot afraid. They rolled and Timothy blushed as Tony pinned him down, hampering him from getting to the phone. He tried to hide it and sell it as being out of breath. He reached for it once more. It was, however, futile.

"Hey hey! You can talk this out! Come on in gentlemen and we can sort things out." The therapist walked out of his office, carrying a clip board. His previous client slunk out behind his staying clear away from them as she eyed them with a disgusted look.

_Probably a homophobe, _Tim thought to himself.

"What are you talking about?"

"Aren't you the married couple scheduled for an appointment in half an hour?"

"Agents McGee and Dinozzo, NCIS." Tim flashed his badge and the middle-aged man in the sweatervest looked dumbfounded.

"Very special agents." McGee blushed as he rolled his eyes. He liked the idea of him and Tony being legally bonded together.

"We're here to discuss one of your clients." The conversation droned on and the whole time, McGee had images... not pertaining to the case at hand.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"You were awfully red when I was on top of you, McGoo. Is there something you aren't telling me?" Tony nudged Tim back at the base, getting in his face to see if he could rouse a fitting reaction. He put on a practiced front.

"I'm not gay, Tony."

"You sure?" He purred. McGee would not fall for the trap. He knew Tony was not bisexual as was he. He was sure it was a trap, despite the recent controversy with the note. Tony was trying to lure him into spilling his innermost secret.

"Yes, Tony. I'm sure."

"What are you bugging him about now, Tony?" Gibbs rounded the corner.

"Nothing, boss!"  
"That's what I thought. What are you looking at, McGee?" Probie looked up at Gibbs and then back down.

"Nothing."

"No, what were you looking at me for?"

"Just that you don't usually stand up for any of us..."

"Really now?"

"Well, at least, not when it's amongst us."

"With the acception of when we are bickering." Ziva interjected to lessen the blow Tim would recieve. Gibbs gave him a light slap on the head and a glare. Tony, however, was not so lucky. He got a rather painful headslap.

_________________________________________________

The two of them walked hand in hand into the squad room.

"Cute skirt, Abby." McGee commented on the short, red and black, polka-dot skirt, framing her shapely hips. "You too-" McGee looked from Abby's skirt to Leah's. "Those are..."

"Matching skirts." He looked up at the rest of their outfits. "We decided to carry out our old tradition of dressing in identical outfits." Leah flipped out a picture of the two of them as teens. "People used to call us the 'freak twins'. Our friends, called it 'twin love'. We always preferred the second one better." McGee smiled and looked at the two of them. He admired the way they were able to flaunt their relationship in public and didn't hide in the recesses. Especially the way they were brave enough to do so on a Naval base.

"We're calling it... Tuesday twins." The phone rang.

"Grab your gear, We've got a dead marine... in a chicken suit."

"_Chicken suit_?"

"Yeah. A chicken suit."

"Not the weirdest thing ever,"

"Did I mention he's in an industrial area inside a concrete truck."

"He was driving a concrete truck in a _chicken suit_?"

"Of corse not, Dinozzo. He's in the tank in solidified concrete."

___________________________________________________

In autopsy, the team stood nearly as thrown off as they had when they had found the petty officer head down in a tank of solid cement... in a chicken suit. The man hadn't really been in a chickensuit, but had had chicken feathers stuck to him with superglue. Remnants of the feathers still clung to the corpse.

"You know... I can sincerely say that I cannot think of a single thing of which I am reminded by this poor fellow."

"Good, you can get right to what you found then, Duck." He eyed the opened cadaver distractedly.

"Ah, right. He was killed by the concrete. I suspect they threw him in there while he was unconcious from this blow on the head." He indicated the bash on the cranium by waving a finger above the dent.

"So he wasn't whacked by the whack on the head."

"No. Why, hello Leah," Leah walked in to the fridgid room for a moment holding a paper. She had an expression faintly mimicking constipation with a touch of feeling sick to her stomach. She stood for a second, trying to bring herself to speak. She flapped her jaw for a moment. After a few seconds, she flashed a face that looked like she was about to vomit, dropped the papers she'd been holding, letting them fall to the floor, and ran out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Ducky!" she said as she fled. Jimmy retrieved the papers for the doctor.

"First time in autopsy," Tony smirked as he looked at a concerned Ziva.

"Hardly, Leah loves autopsy, the sight and smell of blood doesn't usually bother her at all." The doctor looked at the floor for a moment. "Has anyone seen her eat anything today?" They all looked at each other for a moment.

"Now that you mention it, no, I haven't even seen a chocolate bar in her hand once today."

"Except for the short visit this morning, they haven't stopped working once."

"She wouldn't have had time to eat."

"Especially since their phones aren't working."

"And Abby spilt Caf-Pow on the video comfrence console."

"That explains it! Leah watches so many gore movies and has such heightened sences that the sight of blood triggers hunger. If she hasn't eaten today, her blood-hunger reflex would have forced her body to remind her that she's hungry."

"But why would movies make her hungry?"

"My dear boy, what do you do at the movies besides watch?" Tony was silent. He couldn't make the connection.

"You have popcorn! You eat! You can't watch a movie without the popcorn! She sees blood so much in movies that when she sees it in reallife, she has the urge for food, as if she was watching it in a movie."

"Doctor, sorry to interrupt your intriguing conversation, but, according to these papers, our initial findings are wrong. he would have been knocked unconsious by the large dose of... Asprin in his system." Jimmy handed him the toxicollogy report, but Ducky was elsewhere.

"Would someone go check on the poor girl and get something in her? And I don't mean a chocholate bar." Ziva was about to volunteer, but Tim rose to the occasion first.

"I'll go." He said, heading to the door.

"Check the bathroom first!" Ducky yelled after him.

"Why the bathroom?" Ziva asked.

"Did you not see the look on her face and how pale she was? What do you do when you don't eat for a whole day?" Her and Tony looked at Gibbs and then voiced in unison:

"We suck it up."

"Before you knew Gibbs, perhaps when you were a child?" They looked down, understanding that she would likely be feeling sick enough to _get _sick.

"Doctor, this tox screen changes how he was knocked out."

"And we can't be as acurate in figuring out if he was forced to take the asprin or if he did it to himself, due to the concrete filling his throat."

"And who killed him."

"Yes, Anyone can bop someone on the head but in takes some one who can think things out to incapacitate someone with drugs without killing them."

"Question is, was it intentional to not kill him?"

"Well, we can be sure he was still alive when he was dumped in the concrete, and that he didn't put himself in there. The bruises can tell us that."

__________________________________________________

Tim stood in the women's bathroom propped against the counter as Leah splashed her face with ice-cold water. Her heavy breathing, finally beginning to subside.

"Are you sure you're OK?"

"I'm fine... As long as I get something in to me..."

"Let's go get you something to eat. Salad?"

"Steak... or eggs if there's a place that sells breakfast at 2:00 on the afternoon."

"To IHOP it is."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Tim and Leah sat in the plush booth, the aroma of pancakes, bacon, and eggs wafting around him. Leah began scarfing down her eggs as fast as she could manage.

"Slow down! You're gonna make yourself sick again." Leah immediately did as she was told.

"I sence you wanted to talk about something." she said as she moved on to her bacon.

"Yeah..." he paused for a moment, picking at his pancake. "Tony is suspectant."

"How do you know? I think your guise is well practiced. If you hadn't told me otherwise, I would have thought you were just another guy in touch with his feminine side.

"I blushed when he pinned in the therapists office."

"Ahhh."

"I tried to sell it as out of breath, but he didn't really buy it."

"Keep up the front and he'll move on. I know his type. Afraid of commitment. He can't stay on one thing for too long."

"I hope so... I don't know if I can take him in my face like that too many more times before I break."

________________________________________

It seemed as though it was going to be a calm day. Well, calm for working for Gibbs. The day had progressed with more drama in the office than in the field and the case. Tony and Ziva were checking up on leads in the field. They rounded the house cautiously, checking each window for the missing suspect. But they weren't careful enough.

Tony heard a loud shout from the back of the house. He recognised it as Ziva's voice and took off toward the back of the house, sig drawn. As soon as he was around the corner of the small white home, he saw her motionless body limply lying on the red brick patio. Coming to her aide, he heard footsteps, almost silent, nearing him from behind. Then everything faded to black as he too, was bashed on the head with what felt like the butt of a pistol.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ziva awoke to Tony groaning in her ear. She blinked a few times, batting her eyes in the darkness,trying to see again. Her sidearm was not in it's holster, nor were any of her hidden knives in their place. Her sences now on edge, she began to take in her suroundings. From what she could gather, they were in a small wooden shipping crate, stripped of their arms. The crate was moving fast, as if on the bed of a truck on the highway. Their limbs were entwined and it appeared that they had shifted en route to wherever they were headed. Tony moaned again, still coming to.

"Where are we?" He asked, holding his head. He struggled to get to a sitting positon amidst Ziva's legs. He parted them to make room to bring his knees to his chest, but not with out recieving a swift kick in the manhood. He bent forward, whimpering.

"Just trying to sit up, Ziva. Not like I'm gonna try anything." She shot a suspicious glare at him, but kept them spread no less. She let her head rest on the side if the hard crate. The box was suddenly jolted to a stop.

"We are in a small box being taken somewhere by whomever knocked us out, Tony. What does it look like!?"

"Calm the hell down! We've already been through this before. Except last time it was a large shipping container carrying crates and this time it's one of the crates. I feel like George of the Jungle, Y'know the part where he's shipped back to Africa to save Ape. Only I don't think we're going to Africa and you aren't an adorable, friendly little toucan named Toucky." The crate resumed traveling.

"Again with the movies! Besides, I doubt this container is even as big as the one he had." Ziva's leg was cramping and so she moved to get it out of that position. She stood, her whole upper section bent over, and began to sit back down. Just then, before she was seated, there was yet another lurching stop. and she went toppling onto Tony's lap.

"Sorry." she began to move to her side of the box, but Tony grabbed her arm snd seated her back in his lap, this time so that they were facing the same way instesd of her facing him.

"Don't bother moving; this's the most comforable position we're gonna get." There was silence as she calculated all the ways they could sit in the confines of the small enclosure. Tony was right, this was one of the few comfortable ways to sit there. she sighed and began fidgiting. She was slightly clostraphobic. Tight spaces brought back bad memories and made her uncomfortable. She shifted again. Her near constant readjusting made Tony nervous and he drew the line when she rubbed up against his already tenderized package.

"Would you stop squirming! You're driving me insane!"

"I'm sorry! I might have mentioned that I hate small spaces the last time we were in this situation."

"Yes, you did but that doesn't mean you have to squirm around constantly." She settled down and gave up, reclining back onto his chest. Tony reached for his cell phone.

"Don't bother. They took away all communications and weaponry. They even got the knife I keep in my... boot. These guys are proffessionals." she improvised. She wasn't about to tell him where she _really _hid that knife.

"And by boot you mean panties, right?" He smirked, whispering in her ear.

"Yes. I keep it in my panties."

"I wonder what your dates think of that."

"It's more like a needle than a knife, so they don't notice. And it's taped in there so they don't get poked by it."

"Ahhhh. smart girl." She elbawed him in a sensitive spot and looked at him wince.

"Very smart."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three hours later and they found themselves still trapped. The air was cooling down a bit and they were snuggling to get warm.

_Snuggling with Ziva David to get warm. We're gonna die. I wonder if Boss'll skip the funeral just because we look like we're breaking rule #12. _Tony thought as he looked down at Ziva whom was off in her own world. Another cold burst of spring evening air blew in through the ventilation holes at the top of the crate. Tony watched as he saw his breath misted in front of him. He rubbed his hands together to warm himself. He looked down at Ziva.

"You know, Ziva, there is one way we could get warm quick." He smirked.

"Nice try, Tony. Been there, done that. And I don't plan on doing it again," she lied. she moved uncomfortably as she tried to adjust to get what she tought was his pistol from digging into her side.

"Would you move your gun?" He blushed madly at this.

"Ziva... that's not my gun... Our sigs were confiscated, remember?" It was her turn to blush.

"Oh..." she looked down at the unsightly bulge in his pants. he was right. It hadn't been his gun that was hard against her. She began to give a second thought to What she'd said about not planning on doing it again. She looked up at an unccomfortable, blushing, Tony. Uncurling, she rested her hands on his chest. Her lips faintly met his in a suprisingly sweet kiss.

"Since we could die in here and we have less of a chance than last time... I suppose we could-" Tony smirked and eagerly met her lips in a strong, passionate kiss, cutting off the end of her sentence. Tony broke away for only a second, lifting his butt of the wooden floor and digging in his pocket.

"They may have taken our weapons, but they didn't empty my pockets!" he held a codom in his capable hands.

"Would it matter if they had? No but boss'd be pissed if you had my kid." he smirked as he tugged at her zipper. She wasn't about to go slow. She was, after all, Ziva. You either got all or nothing. She yanked his belt off and yanked his pants and underware down past his hips, just enough for his package to come out. She climbed back onto his lap. They stared at eachother for a long moment before they both smiled honestly and wholely. Playfully even.

Tony quickly got her pants off and rolled awkwardly in the limited space so she was on top. His shirt was then ripped off before he knew it.

"You like the top, right? I faintly remember that from somewhere." She smiled at his remembering them undercover. He had said that he barely remembered more than half of his ex's. Yet he remembered her and _one night. _She slipped out of her pants, her petite body's lithe movements seeming as if the cramped quarters were normal circumstances for having sex. He unzipped her army green vest and tossed it to the side. Rolling the condom on, they resumed kissing......

_________________________________________________

"Boss! They aren't picking up their phones!" Tim yelled frantically across the bullpen.

"Can you trace them?"

"No. They have the phones turned off!"

"Dammit. Where were they going when we lost 'em?"

"Uh. The main suspect's home to check up an his alibi."

"Where!?" Tim wrote the address down on a stickynote.

"Do you want me to go, Boss?"

"No, McGee! I'm going!" He ripped the note out of his hand and put his coat on as he entered the lift.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gibbs used his marine training to follow the wiped away dragging trail to a back driveway. He took a picture of a fresh tire print in the mud with his camera phone and sent it to McGee.

"Get on it!" he yelled into the speaker at the probie.

_________________________________________________

Ziva shrieked and screamed a different way with every thrust. Ripping at his back, she yelled his name out in pleasure. She screamed bloody murder as she reached her peak. Tony loved every moment of this. As they flopped down, panting, to the hard bottom of their confines, he thought: _This is the woman for me. _What was he thinking!? _This is Ziva I'm thinking about! No way am I in love with _her_!_H ethought about how everytime he was at work, the first thing he looked for was Ziva, how he usually waited for her in the bullpen to leave with her, how she was always driving him crazy. _Do I love her?_

That was when he decided he did. He wasn't sure if it was just the heat of the moment or if he always had or would, but one thing was for sure, at that very moment, he did love this woman. He did love Ziva David, no matter how crazy or eccentric or how intimidating she was. He loved her. He was not about to make the same mistake as he had with Jeanne. He was going to confess to her. Before it was too late.

"Ziva," he turned his head to face her silky smooth face. He looked into her deep chocolatey eyes. "I love you..." Ziva looked up into his emeralds, shocked and elated at his words. It felt as if she were in one of McGee's novels.

"Tony...I- I don't know what to say..."

"Say you do to... you do... don't you? I mean that's why you always worry when I'm mysterious, isn't it? Ducky told me how you acted when I dissapeared with Jeanne..."

"Ducky..." she faced the ceiling and sighed. Then turned back, looking down at his abdomen, or rather at nothingness. (she's staring at something random which just happens to be his abdomen)

"Yes, Tony. I do love you... I have for a while now..."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were now redressing themselves hastily at the sound of squealing tires. They had a feeling they were going to be rescued soon. All of a sudden, the door was being pounded on.

"Tony! Ziva! Are you guys in there!?" Tony could hear the prying of a crowbar. Tony was not done dressing yet.

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute, Boss!" He finnished latching his belt. "Okay! Get us out of here!" Gibbs broke the crate open in one swift yank of the bar.

"Why did I need to wait, Dinozzo?"

"I, uh, had my jacket stuck to the uh... wall. Had to get free or I would have been attached to it when you pulled it off. I would'a probly gotten hit by the crowbar or... fallen all the way with the side and looked like an idiot." He looked at the box.

_Caution!_

_Live Cargo_

_Mute Italian Monkeys._

"Ha ha... that's... that's _real _cute. Tell me boss, to whom do I owe this fantastic headache and a swift kick in the ass?"

"The black market animal trade and a mafia boss with a jaguar fettish."

"Ah..." he decided to leave it there.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You do know I wasn't serious when I said... what I said... in the crate... Right?" Tony asked back at the base. Ziva had been afraid this would happen. She'd hoped that Tony would just leave it and let her dream and hope he was serious. She brought her hand up to hold her bandaged head.

"Yes, Tony. I know it was a 'I might as well since I am going to die' sort of thing. I am not stupid."

"Good!" He gave her that patented Anthony Dinozzo smile and walked over to his desk with out a second thought. He grabbed his coat, turned off the lamp, and left.

"See ya, Zi-va," he waved with the back of his hand. Ziva couln't stop thinking about how much those few words burned.

_"You do know I wasn't serious when I said... what I said... in the crate... Right?" _

The lines kept running through her head like a broken tape... Record. Like a broken record. She rushed to the bathroom and splashed water in her face to disguise the tears running down her face alongside the droplets of water.

_I _was _serious, Tony..._

________________________________________________

AN: Sorry it took me so long, guys! I have been having serious procrastination issues lately.


	13. Mini ch

Probie knocked on Leah's door.

"Timmy! Come in! Come in! Wait! Don't come in. I forgot to hepa-vac the house and block the cats in the kennel room. Ianto! prevare to hepa-vac!" Tim was bombarded by Leah and her enthusiasm. They waited for a moment while the automated house created a vaccum that neutraized and sucked up all forms of dander.

"OK! Now you can come in!" She excitedly led him up the stairs and to the second floor of the library. she pulled at the door. Locked.

"Ianto! where'd I put my key?"

"To where the library! I wanna show Tim my original_ Most Fruitful Yuki_ comics."

"I don't know where yours is, but I'll send mine up!" Boston trotted up the steps, keyring in mouth.

"That's mommys bay-by!" She coddled the small Yorksire Terrier as she picked him up. She unlocked the door and led him to one of the glass cased shelves with a plaque above it. On the plaque was inscribed a picture of a heart and the quote 'gender doesn't determine love'. Tim smiled at the saying.

"Now be careful what you read. I'd start with a series that's more shounen-ai than yaoi. Start off with maybe one kiss, make your way up to sex scenes, y'now? The top shelf is shounen-ai which is more them finding out about their sexuality, ending the series with the first kiss or the confession where as yaoi is actual sexual relations. Second through fourth shelves are yaoi. They're in alphabetical order. The fifth, bottom shelf is yuri, or girls' love. You can read some of that if you want, but be warned, I take my yuri especially seriously. I'm letting you read because I felt it gave me support in being myself. But no food or drink while reading the contents of this shelving unit. It's practically sacred!" she said, hugging the glass case, making it clear he was to be careful. She still seemed to say it in a polite way which shocked im a bit. Leah was never really... _polite_... at all. She unlocked the glass cabinet and he stared at the huge collection in the fluorescent cabinet lighting. The shelf seemed to glow that in it's self.

"One more thing," her sudden comment made him jump an bit, coming out of his daze, "They're in original japanese format so they read right to left. It may take a while to get the hang of it, but by the end of most people's first volume, they have a relative ease with it. Make sure to read them in order or it's really freaking confusing to understand them and put them back in order when you're done, please. Have fuuuuun Timmy!" she squealed as she headed for the door.

"Wait!" Leah turned with a pleasant smile across her face. He blushed. "Any... suggestions?"

"Gakuen Heaven or Loveless is good. Godchild is more of a murder/horror series than shojou-ai and has lots of blood but is really good too. But for you, _Gakuen heaven_. Then maybe _Loveless_. Then, only if you're _really _ready, _Junjou Romantica_." She smiled. "You gonna stay for dinner? Trust me. They're page turners. You'll be here for a while."

"Sure, why not." He liked this. he hadn't ever really hung out much in highschool. No one had really liked tech-geeks much. Back then, being one was like a sentence to lonelyness. Especially when you were the best and the others were either jealous of you of just wanted you to do their homework for them. It was nice having someone to be with on off hours. He watched as she left.

"It's steak tonight!" She grinned as the door shut. He looked now, over the bannister, at the first floor of the study. The plush green carpet was littered only by a dark, cherrywood desk and a raggety old sofa that seemed terribly out of place. The tenfoot shelves wrapped around every wallof the expansive room except one, which was a wall of glass. For someone who hated sunlight, she sure did have some big windows.

The second layer of the library was really more of a loft. There were hall like strips that extented half the way into the bigger room below and a thicker section opposite the window wall that had a seating area, again with the green carpet accentuated by cherrywood furnishings with green upholsery. He walked over to the opened case and carefully slid the first volume of gakuen heaven out of it's place. He read the back, what would be the front on a normal book, and nodded in aproval of the synopsis. Leah knew him well; better than he'd thought. The story apparently was more a comedy and a mysery than a romance. _Start out light, progress to heavy._

He crossed the loft, stopping at a grate in the floor. It was a cover to a spiral staircase to the main level. He sat himself in an antique clawfooted recliner and crossed his legs. He flipped to the would be front of the book, then corrected himself. It took him a few pages of continuously correcting himself before he'd gotten the hang of it, but once he had, he glided through them with ease. In a matter of hours, he'd completely read through the whole series. He thought himself ready for something closer to real yaoi. Going with her suggestion, he reached out to retrieve the first volume of _Loveless_. But something stopped him. His eyes flashed down continuously to the first volume of _Junjou Romantica. _

_I'm not ready yet! She told me to only take it off the shelf when I was ready._ He reached again for _Loveless_. Again his eyes shifted to view _Junjou Romantica_.

_No! She said I should read_ Loveless _before I read that_. He kept reaching for Loveless but at the last minute he changed his mind and picked out _Junjou Romantica_. He seated himself at the chair once more and gingerly opened the premium condition volume. He was enthralled into the story at first glance. The more the pages turned, the spicier the story became and the more turned on he got. Untill, finnally, he made it to the first actual sex scene. He found it unbearable; he could neither keep reading for fear of sweating on Leah's manga, nor stop for anticipation of what would come next. Finally he came to yet another breaking point. He was about to do something he never imagined himself doing.

Tim put the book down on the small circular side table next to the chair and tiptoed to the door in his now sock feet. He locked the door to assure he would have some time to prepare if she came back to check in on him. He sat back down, and slipped his pants down, just enough. He picked the book back up. He picked up reading right where he'd left off. _Ayagi was on top of his younger lover now._ Timothy began to masturbate. He heard the door on the bottom level swing open and shut. He froze.

___________________________________________

Leah glanced with her perriferral vision at the loft. Sure enough, Tim had frozen as soon as she had walked in.

_He was soooo just jacking off_. She snickered in her head and shook it slightly in humour. She wheeled the large stack of new books to the library's sole desk and began unloading them onto the desk's top. She would at least give her guest a bit of privacy. She felt him silently watching her from atop the bannister, turning ever so slightly in the chair so she wouldn't be able to tell that he had his pants down. But she, however, would not be fooled.

"Uncomfortable with my presence, McGee?" He blushed, relizing she'd been watching him back the entire time. It was hopeless to try to keep things from this girl.

_Maybe that's where Abby gets her persistence_...

"A bit..."

"Just off loading these few books, I'll be outta here in a second." She set the last few novels on the cherrywood surface and turned, leaving, lugging the dolly with her.


	14. Tiva Piano!

AN: I'd like to proudly congradulate Miss Pauley Perrette (Abby Sciuto) on it being her 40th birthday. Might I say, she looks fantastic for her age! This chapter contains a sex scene... Ok, more than one. RAYOR (read at your own risk) Also, leah's flowers are not a real variant of rose, or if they are, I have no knowledge of them. And I'd also like to take the time to remember a recurring cast member mentioned in the chapter that passed last year on December 5 2008. You guessed it, duck's mother portrayed by Nina Foch. You can see the dress Leah wears at the party at infectious (no spaces) They call it the 'Lady is a Tramp' dress.

Leah's keepers are actually crossing over from the show _Torchwood._

Abby skipped into the lab, froze, and walked put, checking the room plate on the door, stating that this was, in fact, her labratory. She walked back in after double taking. There were what seemed to be thousands of vases of and odd variant of rose which she had never seen before, strewn around the room, helter-skelter. They covered half the room alone. They almost seemed surreal, and so she wondered if they _were _real. Her hand went out and touched one of the hearty stems; it seemed waxy to her, like plastic. She squeezed one of the delicate petals between her index finger and thumb to reassure her findings. The sensitive bloom bruised under her touch. The magnificant blossoms were indeed real.

The Mysterious roses were black with red melding out into the flowers from their bases. Some had a ribbon of yellow weaving in between the red and black. They looked like they were aflame, especially the ones with the yellow edging the red. Placing the black gift box she was carrying on the examination table, she further inspected the boquettes.

The gift was for Leah. It was her birthday and so it would be her's the next day. They had a party planned tonight and everyone was comming. Everyone, except for Palmer whom had politely declined with a slightly nervous, almost scared expression when Abby had asked him if he would be able to attend.

"I wonder if these are for me...." She pondered out loud as she took in the sweet aroma of the buds.

"I'm afraid they're for me. Ianto's suprise gift.I guess the director thought it was sweet and that you wouldn't mind. You like them?"

"Duh! They're totally wicked. They remind me of my favorite boots, y'know, the Demonia Transformer 800's with the flames?"

"I call them 'flaming roses' for that reason. I'm the one who bred them into existence. I studied bottany in my free time over the years and figured out how to blend the three colors of blooms together perfectly. I think Ianto and Jack are running out of ideas for gifts for me for them to send me an arrangement of my own flowers." Leah chuckled. She rearranged the boquette.

"Soooo... what'd you get me?" She chirped gleefully.

"You'll just have to wait till tonight after the party."

"Awwww... no fair! I brought _your _present. Why can't I have mine?"

"Because your day isn't technically till tomorrow. Would you like to have to wait untill then?"

"Point taken... Meany..." Leah reached up on her tip toes and gave her a peck on the lips.

"That's the first of what's to come."

"Meany..." They continued to move the vases of flowers around the lab for a while. They were taking a break from what Leah guessed were forty vases, when Ducky entered and peered around the room as though the vases were people staring at him.

"Oh my...!" he looked at the hundreds upon hundreds of flower heads sprouting from the plain black vases scattered throughout the rooms.

"Ianto's doing."

"Yes, how is my fellow scottsman?"

"Exited. Too exited if you ask me, for a party that isn't even his. He loves to see me like 'a normal person'"

"Ah.... I was wondereing if you would care for me to to bring some of mother's banana pudding. You seemed to like it at the-"

"No!" Abby and she yelled in unison quickly.

"I mean, I anto's already making tons of sweets. Our ovens are practically running overtime. I don't wanna OD on sugar." Mrs. Mallard's banana pudding was worst than eating concrete, and frankly, Leah would _rather _eat concrete. The only reason she'd had it at the last gathering, was because she hadn't wanted wanted to offend him.

"Very well... I do not wish to have you as a guest downstairs, my dear. he patted her arm." Ducky exited the room, sauntering out with his hands stuffed in his pockets. _I would rather have to digest cement as well, my dear girl!_ he thought as he was taken back to autopsy in the lift.

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"Open it!" Abby squealed with anticipation as she shoved the near forgotten present over to Leah's side of the examination table. She looked at the box then back at her.

"I thought I'd wait till the party to open it. Just to be more fair to you..."

"Forget that! Open it, dammit! I want you to show it off to everyone."

"If you insist..." Leah began to shred the paper like a dog on a chewtoy. The present was open, the lapels of the box hanging open. She gawked at what was inside. It was a leather dog collar with a heart shaped tag. Not only was it fine leather, but the inside of it was softened extra to prefent chafing. Leah could tell it was one of the ones that cost like 200 dollars; she'd gone through a phase where she'd only buy the best of the best for them. The silver charm refracted glints of light all around the lab as she read it.

_KITTEN _

She flipped it over. There was another inscription on the back.

_To my Kitten, Love your Panda. _

"A-abby... I don't.... Know what to say."

"Just say you like it..."

"I do! Put it on me?" She flipped around and pulled her pigtails out of the way. Abby removed the collar from the small box and secured it around Leah's neck with the utmost care. She admired the work of the coustom collar store she'd gone to and suddenly remembered the look on his face when she'd described what she wanted on the tag. Then the even more hilarious expression he'd displayed when she told him that it wasn't for a dog, but a human. She chuckled alound.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." She gazed into her love's eyes.

"I love it, Abs!" she admired herself as in the freezer glass.

"Only the best for my kitten..." she came up behind her then and hugged her as they both looked at the collar. Leah looked up at Abby and planted a soft, loving kiss on her red lips.

"I love you, Panda."

_____________________________________________________

"So, what did you get Abby and Leah for their birthdays... birthday... Which should it be called...." Ziva asked, curious. Tony sat at his desk, typing something into mapquest.

"Birthdays; they're really a day apart. And I'm not telling. You?"

"I am not going to tell if you aren't."

"Hey, you actually used a contraction!" He said sarcastically, "I'm not going to tell you, Ziva."

"You're worrying wether or not what you got was the right thing... You didn't get them furry handcuffs... did you?"

"No..."

"You haven't gotten them their gifts yet, have you!?"

"No... but I have ordered them and was assured I'd get them today or I get my money back. I even got these fancy black bags." he looked around, thouroughly checking the surrounding areas for either of the girls as he pointed to the small black pouches with an intricate, red rose design. "I got them these really beautiful matching cross necklaces. Y'know how they do their little twin thing. They've got inlaid rubys that meke a rose and inset obsidian details. Pure silver. Real high end stuff."

Ziva gave him an almost jealous expression. He had never given her anything for her birthday, let alone something nice; he didn't even say happy birthday to her and she knew he knew it had been her day (Tony can't help himself from sticking his nose in everyone's business).

Tony noticed her pained expression, but dismissed it as a figmint of his imagination running funny because of the constantly long hours. He went on as if he'd never seen it. Directing his attention back to his computer screen, he found the adress he had been searching for and printed the directions to the Torchwood Mansion.

"I wonder why it's called _'Torchwood _Mansion'. According to the map... the forest surrounding it isn't called torchwood, it's name hasn't even got anything to do with flames..."

"Those the directions?" Ziva asked, coming up close from behind and looking at the map, resisting the urge to hug him close. "Is there, perchance, a bus route passing by her estate?"

"'Fraid not. Why?"

"I crashed my car. I'll have to take a cab."

"You crunched _another _Mini Cooper!? Geez Ziva, that's the third one this year. That's..."

"So I am a bad driver! Sue me!"

"You wanna ride with me?"

"Really? Thank you, Tony." The idea of her and Tony riding togther in a car with no one else exited her. Especially if they got lost... Mapquest often _was _unreliable.

"8:30 sound good?"

"Sure. Do you know if we're supposed to wear something more... formal, or casual?"

"Knowing Leah, casual. But not too informal; Abby'll likely have her in some frilly dress."

____________________________________________________

Abby did indeed have Leah dressed up in a dress. It was not a frilly dress, nessesarily; it was, however, quite short. There was corset lacing up the sides of the bodice that was just about as tight as it went and the dress clung to her form perfectly. The krelin that made the bottom of the dress poof out was itchy and she predicted that she'd be slinking off to change before the end of the night.

Her new leather collar shined in the light, the charm ,once again, reflecting light spots on the walls or ceilings everywhere. She reclined against the bar. She slipped out of her little shined clogs which Abby had insisted she wear, but it didn't really make much sence for her to be wearing them when the guest weren't due for at least thirty minutes and she never wore shoes inside the house.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gibbs, of course, had arrived first. He set a boquette of black roses on the entryway table and hung his coat up.

"Those are for the both of you. For old times sake."

"Awww. Thank you, Gibbs!" she said as she dashed from the direction of the kennel room to hug him. "But where's the presents you mentioned earlier." She looked around his person expectantly.

"Ther's more?"

"Of course. I can't really expect to give someone with an indoor greenhouse roses and expect them to be happy."

"I'd be happy, Gibbs. I'm just glad to be getting something other than one present for the rest of the year until Christmas. Jack and Ianto never know what to get me so they only get me one thing."

"I can give both the presents to Abby if you want."

"No, It's all good." She said quickly.

"Where are they, Gibbs? I wanna see if I can guess what they are."

"I'm having them delivered here and I doubt you'll be able to guess since you can't shake them."

"So it's breakable."

"No. My car wasn't big enough." As if on que, a large delivery truck with the logo decal _WeWrap_ on the side, pulled up to the front gate. The driver got out of the truck. He looked at the mansion, removed the cap from his head and ruffled his hair, and began to figure out how to ask to open the gate. He saw the speaker panel and pressed the sole button.

"I uh... have a delivery for a... Miss Marshall." His voice cracked through the intercom and Leah couldn't tell if it was his voice or the cheap gate intercom. Leah pressed the gate button and the young man drove into the circle drive, parking so that the rear of the truck was close to the front porch. He began to unload two emence boxes: one red and the other black, both with huge intricate bows of the other's color. Gibbs covered the pre-wrapped presents with a tarp to stave off the wet drizzle that was getting slightly harder.

_We Wrap, WeWrap, now it makes sence, _Leah made sence of the once meaningless logo.

"What are they...?"

"You'll have to wait till the party." They both stared at the matching, six-foot presents seated now in the left back corner of the living room, across from the bar.

_____________________________________________________________

Timothy watched as a delivery boy and Gibbs lugged the second of two cumbersome packages into the house. He parked beside the extensive garage building .

_Man she has alot of cars..._ He stepped out and was mometarily confused by the fact that he wasn't getting licked to death and jumped on as he usually was.

_She probably put them in the kennel room for the party._ He entered the mansion just as the delivery guy showed himself out. After he wiped his feet on the mat, he took off his shoes as was the usual coustom at Leah's. Following the sounds of laughter, he entered the living room to see the three of them surrounding the bar. Boss was sitting at a stool, abby seated next to him (or, rather, spinning in her swivel stool next to him), and Leah was behind the bar sipping a glass in between boughs of giggles.

_Of course, Boss would beat me when I wanted to give her the present in private_. The two of them were quite early. He took in the room. Immediately, almost, his eyes were caught by the shelving unit to the left of the entertainmet room sized telivision (the huge kind you see in really rich people's media rooms). It usually had a curtain sheilding the world to it's contents, but today, said curtain was drawn back to the left of the unit to reveal a collection of creepy dolls. And not creepy in the 'so cute it's scary' category, but the 'seriously terrifying' way. Each pristine doll was just like new and had a name plate. Names like: Eggzorsist, Sin, Posie, Sybil, Sheena, Schitzo, Demonique,and Toxic Molly were among them.

_God these things are creepy... Definately Leah, though..._ They had freaked him out the first time he'd come and had taken a tour. Other than that one tour, he really hadn't been in this room; he didn't have to go through it to get to the library which was where they had even begun to eat recently. The dark brown, almost black walls, reminded him of dark chocolate.

_That's Leah for you_. _And she obviously likes patterns and intricasies._

The ceiling, he noticed, was plaited with mirrors, bordered with bronze dividing each frame to create an intricate pattern of mirrors of all shapes and sizes_._ the bronze matched the trim on the cherrywood bar which, in cohesion with the ceiling, had a mirror backsplash for the small sink. Behind it and all along the wall, another floor to ceiling window, like the one in the library, decorated the room. I'ts single, burgunndy curtain was drawn to the left with a golden, tasseled, rope pull cord. The curtain was halfway across the window, showing enough of the grand backyard with it's fruit trees and pond, but hiding enough to keep the misery of the outdoor weather from ruining the party. He then noticed the large presents infront of the drawn side of the shade but his attention was drawn back to the party by interruptance.

The group didn't notice his presence untill he even resumed walking towards them. Leah was the first to see him. The movement caught Leah's keen eye and she ran over, yelling his name, and glomped him. She grabbed the presents out of his grasp and looked at the name tags, she looked up at him.

"Can I shake it?"

"I guess, not too hard, though."

"Forget your shoes, McGee?" Jethro interrupted, joking. McGee glanced down at his own sock feet then noticed that everyone else had their shoes on their feet.

"Sorry, the rule is usually to take your shoes off."

"You've been here Tim?"

"Several times." _shake shake shake_ Leah shook the skull papered box. Continuously shaking the box. She thought it could be a dvd, but it would then have to be a set_. But what would Timmy get me a set of...?_

"Abs Insisted I wear my clogs to 'complete this outfit' I just went along for the ride. And they kept them on just in case I have one too many glasses of wine.... Is this what I think it is?" They'd taken to watching Yaoi anime in the library on the small TV as they ate and Leah had a feeling that had something to do it.

"Depends. What do you think it is?" Leah smirked. It was definately yaoi.

They talked for a bit untill the bell of the grandfatherclock in the entry hall tolled nine. Ducky arrived on a dime, ringing the bell mere seconds after the last _bong _of the clock. He carried three boxes of various sizes wrapped in what appeared to be Valentine's Day paper. Ducky caught Leah looking at the strange choice of paper.

"I couldn't find any gothic wrapping paper, so I settled for this valentine's day paper I scrounged up in the attic."

"Ahhh... I love roses anyway, Ducky." She took the biggest of the boxes excitedly, about to shake it to take a guess.

"Ah ah! It's fragile and I'm afraid I didn't have much to cushion it with." She found he was right when she tilted it to one side, and heard a muffled sound hit the side of the box as the cluncky object concealed inside shifted. The smaller box with her name seemed as though it had nothing in it but paper; it was nearly weightless. The third package was quite obvious; it was a DVD, of what, she had no clue.

___________________________________________________

Tony and Ziva came thirty minutes later. Ziva, dressed in a thin, tan, long sleeved shirt, and a green vest with olive cargo pants, handed Abby a box of black roses. She had always been dubious as to what to get her quirky co-worker and in the end always gave her roses.

"Happy Birthday." She smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, Ziva. I'm gonna go find a vase for these." Ziva removed a small parcel wrapped loosely in a white muslin cloth and bound with a fibrous cord. She put it on the growing pile of presents."That is for you, Leah."

"Thank you." She looked at the package with curiousity. Her wandering thoughts were interrupted by a loud _thump _from behind her. A small toy ball witha printing of Buzz Lightyear rolled away from Tony who lay flat on his back.

"Of my God, Tony, are you alright!?" Abby rushed to his aid.

"Yeah, that sounded like it hurt."Leah extended her hand, offering to help him up.

"I'm fine, butt hurts, but I'm good."

"Pinky! Come get your Buzz ball!" she yelled in the direction of the side hall, "I'm sorry, Tony. He's always leaving his stuff out. I thought I picked it all up, but obviously not." She was blushing, embarrassed at what her dog's actions led to. McGee snickeder and Ziva gave a hearty laugh at the scene.

"Wait, _he_? You named a guy dog _Pinky_?"

"You'll see why, Tony," McGee smiled. He heard the jingling of a dog collar coming fron the hall that branched off the side of the room and looked to see a small, mostly hairless dog scampering, tail between his legs, coming from the first room on the left of the hall. The Chinese Crested dog headed for his ball, head hung low. He froze halfway across the room, sniffed at the floor, and looked at Timothy for a second as if he were a mirage. He suddenly broke across the room, bounding toward Timothy who was sitting on the couch, and jumped up in his lap, licking at his face fervently. Tim rubbed his brown, furless back back as he cooed and prattled on to the dog as though he were a baby. Pinky rolled over for Tim to rub his bald, pink, brown spotted tummy. He got to his feet, still holding the dog in his arms.

"I'll take him back, I wanted to see Akita and the others, anyway." He picked up the small rubber ball and carted Pinky off to the kennel room. Whining and frantic, hushed barking could be heard in the livingroom. Wagging tails began to smack Tim as they all crounded around him, swarming.

"You have many dogs."

"Many many. 'Bout fifty, mostly fosters."

______________________________________________________

"What's wrong, Ziva?" Tony asked. She had been moping a bit since soon after they arrived. He had seemed to be ignoring her.

"You never got me anything," she mumbled nearly inaudibly.

"It's not your birthday." She pulled him a ways into the darkened side hall.

"I meant for _my _birthday, Tony. In all the years I've been here and you never once said happy even said it!" she whispered harshly before turning to walk away. He grabbed her arm and forced her to look him in the eyes. He was close, very close, and she could feel a slight heat rising to her face.

"You like me, don't you?" She looked away. He took forced her to look at him by grabbing her chin firmly but gently and turning her head to his. He brought his grinning face inches away from hers. She finally responded with a nod.

"Lets slip away..."

"We can't, the guys would definately noti-"

"Listen to them, Tony," There was a harty bough of laughter drifting from the party. "They have not noticed yet that we are gone; I don't believe they would miss us if we dissapeared off somewhere."

"I just got on good terms with Leah. We can talk about this later. I'm going back to the party." Ziva stood there for a moment in the darkness before joining him.

____________________________________________________

Ianto helped Chef serve the food around the bar. There were divine luxury burgers made with fine beef, and for Ziva, the kosher equivalent. A chocolate fountain sat in the middle, surrounded by fruits and other goodies to be dipped. Leah and Abby glanced around, checking to make sure no one was watching. Then, when theywere sure no one was, they each dipped their finger in and stuck it in each other's mouth.

Out side, the rain pored down harder and harder by the second. Jack and Ianto had joined the gathering soon after Ziva and Tony had returned. Leah had seen them leave, although it seemed no one else had. She wondered what was with Ziva lately.

"Shall we have them open their gifts, now?" Ianto reclined against the emence black box.

"Yes!" the girls yelled as they rushed, pushing and shoving like little kids on cake, to the presents.

"Whose first?"

"Not mine." Gibbs demanded as he grinned and sat, leg crossed, on the end stool. "best for last."

"I really don't like you right now, Gibbs." Abby pouted with her arms crossed.

"Then ours," Jack said his arms crossed, almost like he was hugging himself while giving his signature grin. Ianto smiled his sweet smile as he retrived a package from the pile. It was actually ten, individually wrapped gifts bound together with a single thin, ribbon tied at the top with a simple bow. The gift had stuck out like a sore thumb against all the red and black with it's yellow backdrop with colorfull confetti and balloon print. It looked like several books or DVD's stacked atop one another. The tower swayed in Ianto's hands like a stack of dishes about to topple as he handed it to her. She was able to keep it steady. She unwrapped them all in a shower of paper bits to find the first three volumes of a new yaoi manga and seven volumes of various other series she hadn't gotten around to updating. She saw Tim's eyes flick over to them as she put the books on the floor in two stacks facedown so no one would see her embarrassing secret hobby.

"I'm sooo spending all tomorrow in the library! Thank Youuuu!" Ianto chuckled and Abby whispered in her ear.

"Not _all _day." Shivers of expectant pleasure traveled throughout her body, particularly in the groin.

"Abby," Ianto held out a similarly wrapped present to Abs, this time it was bigger and only one present with a decorative bow that was much more complex than the first. You could tell that Jack had done the first and Ianto the second. "We couldn't decide what to get you, but we feel you're part of our family now, too, so we felt we had to get you something." Abby stared at the present, assimilating it's true meaning.

"Thankyou..." She whispered as she gently ripped off the paper to reveal a faux wrought iron picture frame. It held a picture of them kissing as they sat on the fountain in the middle of the drive.

"Wow... This is definately going on our desk at work. Thank you, guys. She ran over and gave them each a hug. Ianto bluched and smiled, barely hugging back. Jack didn't hug back but smirked instead. He was afraid that if he had hugged Leah's woman that the pint-sized charge would kick his ass. Which she _could _do.

"Where'd you guys get the picture?"

"Security cameras. We froze the frame and enhanced it."

"That's... a bit creepy."

"But it is the thought that counts." Abby added, brushing a finger over the glass.

"Mine next!" Tony intergected exitedly, ruining the moment. He handed either of them one of the velvetine bags.

"Thank you, Tony. These bags are beautiful..." Abby was confused by the seemingly empty bags; the necklaces' weight was virtually undetectable. Leah was bright enough to at least open it. A small glint at the bottom of her pouch led her to dig out what lay inside. She lifted the sparkling pendant out slowly, mystified by it's bejewled cross. Abby glanced over at Leah, and, seeing what her prize had been, pulled out her own. She began hopping up and down jubulantly. Leah turned to Ianto. Ianto, could you go put this in my Jewlery box in my closet? I don't want it ending up broken." Ianto did as he was asked, marveling at the necklace and handling it with the utmost care.

"I was going to get you a hitcock collection but I'm glad I didn't." He pointed to the shelves of movies to the right of the tv, particularly a copy of "The Complete Hitchcock Collection"

"Open another, dear girl."

"Okay, Ducky. How's about yours."

"Ah, the two big ones are for you and the smaller one is for Abby." Leah passed Abby hers and then sat, crossed legged on the floor in front of the heap of presents and wrapping paper remnants. She opened the large package to expose the bleached white skull of a rabbit and a small cow.

"For your collection."

"Collection?" Tony was a bit creeped out by the skulls, their gaping skull sockets.

"Yeah, normally I have quite a collection of them strewn about the house but I'm working on a series of skull paintings. Thanks, Ducky! Now just about all I _don't _have is a human skull!" Ducky frowned.

"Well, I hope you don't have what's in the other box, then..." Leah gingerly, but hurriedly, unwrapped the second box. within it was the small, fragile skeleton of a robin and a roll of super thin wire.

"You have an book with which you can reassemble that, don't you?"

"I doubt she doesn't, Ducky; that library is huge."

"You would know, ProbiePan, it is your neverland. I do have alot or books I could use for it, Duck. Half the study is antimology and related topics. And I love puzzles... No wonder the box felt like it just had paper in it."

"I don't get it."

"A bird's bone are hollow so that they can take to flight easier. Virtually weightless, I remember-" Leah was staring at the linen cloth package from Ziva. I'm sorry, Abby, Ducky, I can't take it anymore, curiousity is getting to me." She grabbed for the parcel and began ripping at the cord. Ziva chucked her pocket knife at her. Leah caught it without looking back at her. She picked herself up off the floor and seated herself right beside Ziva on the dark red suede couch. Abby came and sat on the arm of it, her dress bunched up in the back and allowed Leah a peek at her panties. Her favorite ones. She felt like the party would never end and, for once, she wanted it to be. She brought her attention back to the present.

Ianto's interest had been piqued, also, by the oddly wrapped present. He stood, leaning against the archway. Jack wandered back to the room but didn't go to his side like he usually did. Ianto, she noticed had been crying. She attempted to ignore it. They'd been fighting alot and she'd learned to ignore it. She unraveled it comepletly and stared at the magnificent blade that lay in her lap. "Ziva..." She held the throwing dagger in her hand lightly, inspecting it's perfection. There was a small inscription along both sides of the blade. It was her name in elegant Edwardian Script.

"Why did we never think of that!" Ianto laughed out.

"Because you don't have a weaponsmith on speed dial." She giggled. She wrapped Ziva in a hug. "Thank you," Ducky was given attention again as Abby unwrapped a DVD compilation of the greatest gore movies of the 'good ole' years'.

"Thanks, Ducky, we've been looking for this everywhere! Where'd you get it?"

"Internet, yes. You have Timothy to thank for that, really."

"He's the one who payed for it, though, and the one who thought of it." McGee said being modest.

______________________________________________________________

After a while, Tony and Ziva had grown anxious of the party as they sat squished together on the couch. They began to get more and more bored of watching the girls open their gifts.

"Does anyone know where the restroom is?"

"I do." Ziva said quickly.

"That's right, you've never been here, Tony. I'm sorry I forgot to give you a tour."

"I'll show him around." she took his arm and began to lead him down the hall. "The first two doors on the left are the kennel room. the first room on the right is the comfrence room." she stopped to show him the door and showed him. He peeked his head in, playing along."I don't think going in with the dogs is a good idea. Dogs don't like you. Neither do cats."

"You seem to." he whispered. She kicked the tour into high gear. she showed him the rest room. He went in, pretended to do his business, and came out. They continued the tour, skipping the gym. and he peeked in the door of the library.

"I'm not really one for books."

"I can tell." She led him into a dark, narrow stair case."The emergency stairwell."

"Can you turn a light on?" There is no light in here unless there's an emergency. Do you not trust me?"

"Would I be following you if I didn't?" She led him silently through the narrow hall of stairs. She flipped a set of lights on at the end and dimmed them, illuminating a long hall of the same white and brown marble as in the front entryway. "Upper library level," she was now walking backwards, leading him by his tie. "Art studio, indoor greenhouse... and my favorite room, The music hall. she brought her face inches from his to where he could _feel _her breath and his mingling in the air. She pulled away quite suddenly, smirking as she left him to enter the room.

The door closed behind them and Tony locked it.

"And does it... perhaps, have sound proofing?" Ziva nodded.

"Exactly why I like it." She purred, lounging out on an abnormally wide, cushioned piano seat. Tony came closer and she brought herself to a sitting position. He sat down beside her and took her face in his. It began with a sweet kiss, testing each other. Then things quickly began to get heated. Ziva kissed him almost frantically, and Tony wasn't about to go slow. He frorced her against the grand piano and went for her vest. The top came off soon thereafter. Ziva worked on his belt buckle, fumbling because she was light headed. Tony was the best she'd ever had.

_Maybe the best I ever will have._

She was still struggling with the belt when Tony simply yanked his pants down.

_Men are so im patient._

"Would you hurry up!" he said, his breath ragged from lack of air.

"With what?" She moaned as he commenced with his activity of giving her a hickey just below where her usual plunge line was. He kissed her neck repeatedly, creating a trail from the red blotch to her lips.

"My tie." _kiss_, "I can't get my tie undone." _kiss_, "too" _kiss_, "distracted" Their lips met and they kissed till neither had anymore air. Ziva successfully removed the tie andshirt and Tony almost seemed to be shivering under her touch.

_A good responce._

He got her pants down and began messing with the lace along the top of her cream colored panties. She whirrled around so that he was against the piano. Ziva shut the piano. It would be suitable for making love.

___________________________________________________________

"Sweet! The game I've been wanting. Thanks, Tim."

"Leah." He handed what she'd thought was a box set. Leah screamed bloody murder when she saw just what it was a collection of.

"Sorry. Ju-JuJu Jun- rom.... This is a box set of JR with english subtitles! These are like ultra rare! Let alone the fact it has commentary and deletes scenes along with ton's of other bonus features! They're only twenty of these! You had to have paid hundreds of dollars for this, Timmy!" She hugged the box, bringing her knees up around it even, hoping to protect the images, and Tim's secret, from sight.

"What can I say, I have some friends in high places. There's actually two things that go with that, but... I for got them at home."

"Ianto, can you go put this and the manga in the upper level of the library, Please?"

"Of course."

"Finally! Gibbs's presents!" They ran over and began tearing at their respective presents. Two humongous, four by four by six cardboard boxes were now infront of them.

"How... do we..." top of the heavy boxes were too high for any of them to reach and they didn't want to risk tipping them over for fear that they would squish someone. Leah saw Ziva's pocket knife and Abby reached for hers.

"Hap bah..nunununuu!" she babbled near hysterically. She'd obviously had too much of her wine. "It's a throwing dagger! Not to be used for cutting paper or cardboard." She sliced down the box with a Y inciscision. A joke for Ducky. She cut the other box in a similar fashion. Faux fur immediately began to spring forth from the cracks. They forced their ways into the boxes through pure ripping power... and the help of Ziva's knife.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Awhile later, they had two huge stuffed animals: a five foot cat and a five foot reverse panda. Gibbs's joke to them.

"I love 'em Gibbsy!" Leah sat on her's; it was big enough for her, whom was only five foot flat herself, to useas a bean bag chair. The gigantic black cat had one big yellow eye open and the other closed, winking.

"I love it, Gibbs! I'm just not sure if he'll fit in my apartment, unless... Can I leave Mine here?"

"Of course."

Thunder roared and lightning struck. The rain suddenly became deafening. A blinding flash of light made the room brighter than it had been all evening. Another crack of lightning struck right outside the house. The house was suddenly pitch black.

AN: Sorry,my Dear readers, I'm afraid It's 1:30 and I believe it is time I retire to my bed. I will definately continue the chapter tomorrow.


	15. Tiva, LXA

AN: I'm sorry I said there would be a sex scene or two in the last chapter and there wasn't, I just procrastinated for too long and then when I finnally got going, I was so tired then that I couldn't go on. Gomenasai! (and happy b-day to Ianto)

Last time, the team and Ducky gathered at Leah's mansion for a party for Lea and Abby's birthdays. They'd just finnished opening the last presents and the power went out. Meanwhile, Ziva and Tony were upstairs in the music room basically confessing to each other for the second time, only this time it isn't a life or death situation. Leah's keepers are in a rough patch, Abby and Leah just want the paty to end, and the rain is coming down so hard that they can't see five inches out the window, not to mention that the storm is right on top of them and lightning just hit right out side the window... and Leah's a bit afraid of lightning.

Leah clung to Abby like a vice. There was a crash from the kitchen. There was swearing in some strange language.

Jack took out his zippo and checked to see if everyone was okay.

"I'll go make sure Chef is okay." Ianto walked off into the darkness, using his hands to feel his way around.

"I'll Go start the generator." Jack headed for the glass tunnel that connected the house to the garage.

"You might as well give them rooms, Leah." A thin man with a strong jaw and pale pallor, wearing a cardigan and slacks, came out of nowhere. "The Torchwood satelite says this isn't going to let up till tomorrow."

"E-every one, m-meet Doctor Owen. H-he lives in a f-furnished part of the dungeon." Leah quivered, loosening her grip on Abby's dress. Another simultaneous boom and flash appeared just outside the panes and Leah shreiked, resuming her previous position.

"What's wrong, my dear?" Ducky was a bit concerned when Leah, who could be staring down the barrel of a gun and not flinch, looked like she was about to wet herself. Abby held her close, sitting with her on the giant panda.

"When she was four, her house was hit by lightning and caught on fire. Only her and her half brother were home. He almost didn't survive the fire. Now, unlike most, she fears the lightning, not the thunder."

"I-i'm not usually like this during a storm. I'm fine as long as there's at least ten seconds between the thunder and lightning, but..."

"There isn't even a full second, now." Ducky finnished, understanding.

"Exactly."

"It's getting bad," A large branch flew past the window, showing that the wind _wasn't _all bark and no bite. "I'm going to initiate tornado protocol." Owen dissapeared into the darkness as another bolt hit in the front of the house. A few seconds later, the lights suddenly came on.

"And no matter where I go, there's always a double hit nearby, just like that night. There's a one in one thousand chance of lightning hitting twice within 200 feet, and no matter what, it always happens near me." There was a single loud beep, and steel plating slid down with a squeal infront of every window and outer door in the house. Leah released a sigh and every one looked at the windows in horror and confusion.

"Relax. It's storm protocol. That's a steel titanium alloy. I always feel safer when it's up because I can't see the lightning and the noise is drastically reduced." They all listened and the roaring pounding of the rain had indeed been reduced to a low rumble.

"Where are Ziva and Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"They went to tour the place. They would have been trapped in the dark!" Abby realised, alarmed.

"Relax," Leah curled up on the couch in a position similar to the fetal position only more relaxed. "I invited Ziva to dinner a few weeks back. She's trained to memorize layouts wether she's in a relaxed situation or on a mission. She basically knows her way around the place in the dark as I do. And I don't even have to touch the walls when I walk around in complete darkness." She got up, legs steady now. "I should assign rooms. You guys will have to sleepover. You wouldn't have any power if you went home anyway."

__________________________________________________

Ziva screamed as she came down from her orgasm. Tony was glad the room was soundproofed or they'd be caught for sure. He dropped to her side.

"Wow..." was all he could bring himself to say in between heavy breaths. Ziva couldn't say anything she was panting so hard. Suddenly, all went dark.

"What happened?" Tony asked, oblivious to how bad the storm had gotten.

"The power must have gone out because of the storm." she huffed. She laid her head on top of Tony's chest and hugged him.

"I-I was serious... about what I said in that crate."

"I was too." he looked down at her. He always had, he realized. Jeanne had just been a fluke. He loved _Ziva_. A beep blared over the house-wide intercom and they jumped up to a sitting position, alarmed as steel slates covered the windows along the back wall.

"What the hell! We're being trapped inside the house! Is there someone attacking the place or something!?"

"Get dressed!" They hurriedly got dressed and disposed of the condom in a trashcan, making sure to have it covered up by more trash. They wiped up the piano in the darkness just in case there was any remnants of their activities. The lights flickered on and they slunk out of the room, making their way cautiously down the stairs. Jack saw them but didn't ask anything. Instead, he simply smirked, knowingly. Tony blushed slightly. The scene they came upon was a relatively normal one. Leah sat on the couch talking to everyone as she leaned against Abby, Gibbs took another sip of bourbon at the bar, Ducky stood off to the side of the room in front of the television, McGee stood looking at Leah, two humongous stuffed animals stood behind him in place of the two boxes.

"So that's what they were. Animal beanbag chairs. Cute." Tony attempted to act normal."

"Where the hell have you two been?" Gibbs asked. Tony opened his mouth but Ziva started talking for him.

"We were in the music room when the lights went out so we stayed there." Ziva caught a flash of a smirk on Leah's face as she mentioned the musicroom.

_She knows!_ She yelled in her head. They'd both be ruined if Gibbs found out. Gibbs however, seemed too drunk to notice.

"What was that siren? Surely if there was a tornado or something you would be taking cover. And the barricades on the windows?"

"I'm... a bit afraid of lighning and it kept hitting just outside so we initiated the protocol for a severe storm so I wouldn't be as freaked out." Abby noticed tony's usually prim tie was quite frumpy and she smiled.

_Good. He finally seems to moved on after Jeanne._

"We've been waiting on you to assign rooms."

"Assign rooms?"

"The storm's too bad. Even if you were able to see a foot in front of you, the road's sure to be washed out. C'mon."

____-------_____-------______----____-----_____--------______

Leah, who wasn't quite back to herself but was more sure of herself led everyone up the grand staircase that goes off the main hall (not the hall that branches off the livingroom). She Stopped at the door to her one of her own rooms.

"Gibbs, you can have the room with the queen-sized bed. Ziva, since I feel that I can trust you enough to not screw with my stuff, you can have this room." She opened the door to the room with the coffin shaped bed.

_At least it isn't an actual coffin. _Gibbs stumbled into his own room and collapsed immediately on the bed. Ziva put her jacket on the bed of her room and sat down, taking her boots off. She soon got up, restless. She joined the others once again.

"Chef will have the master guest suite since it's got the only sheets in the house that he isn't allergic to. Ducky, you can have your usual room." He nodded but stayed with the group. "Tony you can have the spare bedroom. Tim... shit. There's no more spare rooms. Can you... Do you think you could sleep in one of my coffins? I Promise It's be the double wide ones. Me and Abby can take the-" They heard yelling downstairs.

"Fine! I'll just sleep on the couch!" Jack yelled at a furious Ianto.

"Like hell you will, Jack!" Leah yelled down the stairway. "I want to at least have the virtue of being able to sleep next to Abby tonight, on my _birthday_!" Jack softened up his demeanor but stormed off anyway.

"I can sleep in a coffin, Leah, I've done it once before."

"You sure? We could always take the coffin..." _We won't be able to have sex in it, but we could find other places to do that._

"I'll be fine," he sighed. The least he could do for Leah's birthday gone askew was to let her have the blessing of a comfortable place to do this and that. He knew that Leah's coffins weren't like Abby's. They were real, hinged coffin in the traditional shape with an extra thick bottom cushion. Not the most comfortable thing in the world, but he'd manage for her sake. She doubled back to the room where Gibbs was now sleeping. He looked so peaceful. He realized just how young Gibbs could look when he was relaxed. Leah dragged an extra wide coffin out from under the right side of the bed.

"I't really made for a really obese person,, but I use it for when I need the company of Benjamen." She retrived a dark brown bear from beside Gibbs's head. It wore a pair of toy glasses, a grey button up shirt, red suspenders, and dark grey pants, and hugged it, making it obvious that _he _was Benjamen. His little shirt had a little pocket protector.

She moved the casket to the open area of the spacious room and opened it. She glanced at Gibbs who snored louder still. Going to a dresser, she pulled out a package of ear plugs and threw them into the open case.

"Here, you're gonna need those." She smiled weakly. They all gathered in the hallway. "Feel free to use any of the rooms of the house as long as it isn't locked. The swimmingpool is ready for use at anytime, so is the library, well the bottom level is. The top is blocked off to anyone but Timmy. The shooting gallery is ready for use just don't use up too much ammo, please. The weight room is back to order, Art room is off limits, music room is open." She smirked at Ziva. Ducky was about to go up the set of stairs that led to the tower, or as leah likes to call it, the spire. "Oh, Ducky! The spire's down for maitenence!"

"In other words, you don't want me going up there. I just want a peek out one of those porthole windows you have along the way."

"Yes, but the problem is, the last asasination attempt was taken out more on my dog, than me. They shot at one of my dogs that passed the porthole, thinking it was me. She fell down the stairs and took a couple of stairs with her. Half the case is gone and we couldn't work on it during the winter, so we just blocked it off." Abby was alarmed at this.

"When did that happen? Which baby was it? Did she survive?"

"Before I re-met you, her name was Dayna, and she didn't survive the bullet t the brain, can we get off the subject now." She turned towards the main stairs. "Now, if you'll excuse me, the dogs can't be locked up _all _night."

"Can I have the keys... Just in case." Tim asked, heading down stairs.

"Sure," she gave him a single key. He threw a confused look. "I made a copy for you so you wouldn't have to always ask." Tony followed them.

"Are you guys using the TV?"

"Iwas planning on playing video games, why?"

"I was going to see if anyone wanted to watch a movie, but can I play?"

"Sure."

"Me too!" Abby and McGee added together.

"Then a team game. Me and Abby versus you and Tim."

"You're on!... What are we playing?"

"No idea..."

_____________________________________________________

Ziva was a bit sad that she wasn't invited to join in their game, but she had wanted to go see what improvements Leah been talking about making to the shooting gallery. He entered, chose a pistol of the gun wall, and turned to the stall to fire.

After a few rounds she became bored, but took a knife of the knife wall and hopped over the wall of the stall. She threw it. _Thock! _it hit the target in the head. She retrieved it. She threw it again. It hit the groin this time.

_Was he serious when he said what he said?_

_"I was, too."_ He had sounded sincere... But Tony _was _known to be a notorious playboy. Was he playing her? This time the knife hit the heart.

____________________________________________________

The dogs crowded around the couch, quitetly watching the TV. The first round had been a tie. They'd all killed each other simultaneously. They moved on and began a new game. First, Leah's scantily clad mercinary charachter skirted around a corner and killed Tony off easily.

"Sorry, Sexmachine!" She pouted tauntingly.

"How the hell do you know my pledge name!?"

"I told her! Besides, we all know you are one! _Especially Ziiiivaaaa_." she teased. Tony blushed bright red.

"Shut up..." His voice actually cracked. They all sobered up.

"You... really like her, don't you?" He nodded.

"Of course he would. They're made for each other. You can see it in the way they fight and tease each other at work." They all realized just how right Leah was. "I've known all along they were in love.

"How did you know when I myself figured it out just a few days ago?"

"When you've been truly in love as much as me, You know what it really looks like."

"You guys never fight."

"Yes we do. You just never see because it's either when no one's around or it's over something _little_. We're like an _old _married couple." He looked at her and the sweet way Abby looked at her. He let it drop and they resumed the game.

To exact revenge for killing Tony, Timothy killed Abby. Ducky sat with a young spaniel pup on his lap and a glass of wine as he sat, half watching the game of virtual bloodshed, half focusing on petting the sleeping puppy.

"You know, Ducky, your bathingsuit is still here from the last time you were here."

"I wondered wher I'd left it! Yes, that's right! I was washing it when Mother called to say that she thought there was a burgler. It was just the lawn man... I think I'll go for a dip, then." Leah whistled, and a few dogs stood to attention, including the puppy.

"Spruce, you stay here. You know you can't swim. Ducky, take a few swimming buddies. You've only had one drink, but you can never be too careful. Haha!" Leah stabbed McGee's charachter as she finnished. McGee grabbed his hair in dissapointment.

"I'm going to go to bed..." Pinky trotted off after him.

"See ya." Tony too went off on his own, presumably to find Ziva.

"What do you wanna do," Abby purred, leaning seductively towards Leah. The dogs dispersed, giving them some privacy.

"I dunno, but not here. People might wanna use the TV." Leah giggled and Abby got up, dragging her with her. They headed for the lower level of the library.

_____________________________________________________

McGee draped his clothes over the front of a bureau. He settled in the coffin in his undershirt and boxers, Pinky laying beside him. The blanket was thin but warm. The cover lay open still; he wasn't about to enclose himself like Leah did. The small dog snuggled against him. He sometimes wondered if Pinky was gay. The only toy he liked more than that Buzz ball, was his _Tinker Bell _ball.

_If only you were human. I might be able to get you to fall for me. _

Leah had made it blatantly clear that Tony would never fall for him as he was in love with Ziva.

_It wouldn't make much sence for him to say "how you look at him" if he had written the note. _Timothy tossed and turned in his sleep, partly because he felt as if he was being watched and partly because he felt his life was miserable.

Sencing Timmy's inner struggle, Pinky licked his face and cuddled closer.

___________________________________________________

Gibbs woke groggily from his slumber. He felt like someone was in the room was with him. Rising slowly, he noticed a large mass on the other side of the room. He crawled to the bed and stared at it. It moved. He drew his sig from under his pillow. His eyes adjusted a bit more. The mass moved to face him. It was, he realized, Timothy.

_Damn. He looks even cuter when he's asleep than he does when he's awake._

Gibbs stared as Tim tossed and turned. He smiled as he began to drool a bit on the small pillow of the coffin.

"He's turning into them!" He chuckled softly out loud. McGee froze. Gibbs pretended to be asleep for a few seconds. Untill, that is, he was sure that Tim was still asleep. He resumed his sleep watch. The man in the coffin stirred again, a pained, sad expression on his face. The drool, Jethro realized, were tears.

_He's crying..._

He moved to his crush's side. He whimpered in his sleep.

"Tony..."

_So you're dreaming of _him_. I wonder, what about him are you dreaming? Is he shoving into you are you giving up on him...?_

He hesitated, but all it took him to gain courage was another whimper of heartbreak for Gibbs to start stroking the man's hair. Much like he used to do if Shannon was having a nightmare.

_Will you ever love me, I wonder. I hope so..._

He left the room and heased for the bathroom across the hall. He ran the shower for a few seconds then stepped into the almost luke warm shower.

_Why do I torture myself like that?_

The water washed over his hardened face. It ran down his back, renewing him in a way, washing away the pain if the day. Watching Tim love someone else hurt him so.

_Not as much, though, as if his love was requitted._

He turned off the water and redressed, leaving his overcoat in the room. The coffin, he noticed was empty except for the small, homely dog.

_So ugly it's cute... _

He headed down the stairs. He turned into the livingroom cautiously, first listening for noises of a sexual nature. Seeing and hearing nothing but his own footsteps, he headed towards the library. A little known fact about Gibbs was that he actually liked to read. The hall was dark and he wondered where everyone was. He let his mind wander as he made his way in the darkness, his hand on the right side wall for support and navigation. Staring blankly at the ceiling, he bumped into someone.

"The hell!"

"Holy shit, Boss. You really scared me."

"Timothy?"

"Yeah."

"What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd... use Leah's computer... Maybe read."

They opened the door, automatically freezing at the sight before them. Abby had Leah pinned against the desk, her hand dissapearing under the dress.

________________________________________________________________

"Abby we shouldn't be doing this. If Timmy wakes up, he'll come here." Leah second thought the situation as Abby backed her up against the desk, completely ignoring the comfortable covered couch in the middle of the room.

"Then let's put a porno on for him." Abby purred as she coaxed Leah to spred her legs.

"We should wait till tomorrow when...when..." she began to studder as Abby carressed her through the lacy, skimpy, black panties Abby had given to her right before the party. She let out a groan of submission. "Or maybe not.." She groaned as the familiar, slender fingers slid into her. She began thrusting Leah slowly, pacing herself. Leah wrapped her legs around Abby. She moaned with pure, unfiltered pleasure. She felt exceptionally pleasured tonight. Abby came even closer and began thrusting her whole body with her hand. Leah pleaded for her to go faster.

"H-harder!" She commanded, she grunted when Abby tortured her, going softer and slower instead.

"Nooooo... Faster!" Abby stopped paining her and gave her what she wanted. It would be her night tomorrow, tonight it was all about Leah. Leah smiled, at her getting her way as usual.

There was the creak of a door and voices. Gibbs and Timothy watched as she hit and came down from her orgasm. Tim looked like he was about to faint as his mouth flapped open and shut like a goldfish. Gibbs braced himself against the door frame.

Abby removed her hand from her crotch and wiped Leah's juices on her own dress.

Everyone's mouths were now flapping. Leah wiped her mouth.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After they had been walked in on, they'd all gone to bed, the library wouldn't be used for a few hours after _that_. Leah woke up to the sound of soft footfalls. She woke up to Ziva walking around in her panties and an undershirt, munching on an apple.

"Have a good sleep?" Ziva treased, referring to the fact that she was naked on the couch, covered only by a thin sheet. After the fact in the library, the'd ended up finnishing on the couch.

"Yeah. So, do I need to burn the sheets on my bed, or the ones on the bed I gave to Tony?"

"The ones on Tony's... and if you want to be thourough... your... piano."

"You guys couldn't just use the floor, huh?" Ziva blushed then grinned at the entrance to the side hall. Leah threw her a 'some one's off their rocker' look. She reached foor her clothes which she'd left in a lump on the floor. The pile was gone. and all that was left of Abby's mound were her panties and bra.

"Tony!" He ran through the room, carrying only a set of practically see through panties. Panties, she realized, that she had been wearing last night. Abby rustled herself from sleep.

"Tony! Give me back my fucking clothes, you jackass!"

"I can't! I already put them in the washer!" he taunted. Ianto walked past. realizing that he'd helped Tony pull a prant on his mistress.

"You said she asked you to put them in the wash! I swear I didn't know!" he said to Leah.

"Fucking jackass" she muttered under her breath. She streaked up the stairs and into her room, forgetting that Gibbs and Tim were in there. Tim was absent from the equation this time, but as she entered, Gibbs pulled his sig on her. Leah screamed. too early in the morning for anyone to point a gun at her.

"Leah! goddammit! You scared the shit outta-" he cut himself off and covered his eyes when he realized she was naked.

_For fuck's sakes! second time in 24 hours. Just my luck!_

"Sorry! Tony stole my clothes and put them in the wash so I had to streak!"

"TONYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!" Gibbs roared. He was not amused.

Elsewhere, in the chair in the upper library, Timothy McGee snored away, a smile on his face, his favorite volume of JR in his lap, and Pinky sleeping peacefully at his feet.


	16. realizations dawn

**Sorry it took me so long, but with a term paper and what seems like a few hundred end of year exams, it hs, needless to say, been hectic. Sorry. THis was supposed to be posted a few ...months ago. I am trying to keep with the months of the story so they coincide with the real date, but it's not really working. Just pretend it's March 28 ^_^' There's a bit of each couple in here, A big theme, though, is the friendship between Tim and Leah. Alot of it is sheer fun, but make sure to pay attention, especially to your favorite tech geek. This chapter is mainly about him, really and it lets out some VERY important info for the next chapter.**

Ch 16.

"Happy late birthday, Leah!" Timothy McGee entered the lab, looking down at the oddly shaped presents as he rounded the doorway. He looked up to see full fledged makeout session between Leah and Abby. They sat, Leah straddling Abby's lap as she sat in the rolly chair, frozen. He turned to walk out but Leah hopped out of Abby's lap and grabbed his arm.

"Sorry about that... Ohh! Gimme!" She grabbed the three bundles. Ther were two taller, more slender ones, and a short fat one. She automatically began the process of becoming a human shredder. When she was finnished, she held the three recurring, comical relief, mascots of Junjou Romantica. She huggled the Pink floppy bunny to herself, switching for a moment to the seemingly moustached panda before switching back. Abby marveled at the adorability of the small, fat stuffed chick.

"Thank you, Timmy!" She launched at the taller man, embracing him in a life squeezing Leah bear hug. Tim hugged back. Leah was likely the closest friend he'd ever had.

Tony waltzed into the lab to find McGee watching Leah excitedly place stuffed animals around the room.

"You gave a grown woman stuffed animals, McGoober." McGee flushed at the pet name as he did everytime.

"What's wrong with stuffed animals, Dinozzo?" Leah pouted, "I love stuffed animals! I have tons of them... Abby has stuffies, too."

"She does?" Timothy asked. In all the times he'd been in Abby's apartment, he'd never seen any fluffy, cute teddies or stuffed puppies as he had at Leah place.

"She keeps 'em locked up in the chest at the bottom of her closet. They're hidden in the false bottom. Besides, she's told me how you always kept the lights off for fear of vampire nightmares."

"Leah!" Abby whined.

"What? I was just trying to prove a point..." The girl plopped down in her ergonomic swivel chair.

"That's your bete noire, too McGoo?"

"No, I just have a problem sleeping in a casing made for an expired person." He loosened his collar a bit. Ziva smiled slightly at Tony's tight jeans as she entered the lab.

"Sooooooo booooored!" Leah complained, spinning around a few times. Abby caught sight of her annoyingly, not soaked panties. She also noticed Tony glimpse them and Ziva frown of displeasure at the man's expression.

_Definately going out._

"H-h-h-h-hey! The gang's all here!" Tony chirped loudly whilist Leah decided if it was supposed to be a bad impression of a car salesman or _Porky Pig_.

_Either way, it was horrible_. ZIva tre her of her thoughts

"I finnished upstairs with the paperwork. Thought I would come down and see if there was something I could do to help out."

"Unfortunately," Leah turned to face the attractive foreigner," ther's nothing to do down here, either." she frowned and was about to spin again but decided against it. She was getting a bit dizzy.

"I got it!" the senior field agent drummed the evidence table. "Let's play truth or dare!"

"Aren't we a bit... old for that?" McGee put in quietly. If he was asked about his sexuality, he didn't know if he'd be able to stand up to the pressure.

"Do you have any better ideas, probie?"

"Good point..." they _were _all bored near to tears.

"I'm game!" Leah piped in, cheerfully. She seemed even more chipper and hyper today, despite the lack of work and excess of boredom. Tim suspected that Abby had given her caffpow. She came up behind him and, standing on tipptoes in her three inch platform heels, gave him a hug from behind. She came close to his ear and whispered "Don't worry, Timmy. If something goes awry, I'll save you." He put a hand on her grip. She always new how to reassure him.

They sat in a big, loose circle on the floor, some of them with legs outstreched, others, indian style. McGee closest to the door, Leah to his left, Tony, unfortuantely, close to him at right. Leah sat at abby's left, hands entwined. Ziva sat at Tony's right, seeming distant from the rest of them in her usual manner, despite the fact she was in fact, quite close.

"So, who's gonna start us off?" Leah asked as she practically vibrated with energy, Pigtails bobbing wildly.

_Definitely the work of Caff-pow..._

"You always did love this game, Abby eyed her woman affectionately with a touch of playfulness. It turned to that ferrel, seductive smile for but a second, but it was enough for Leah to stop vibrating and blush madly, fidgiting momentarily.

"Oh! Oh! Me! Me! I got one!" Dinozzo was all too hyper for his age. "Leah, I d-"

"To-ny!" She drew his name out in a whiny, five-year-old-esque voice. "You're supposed to ask me truth or dare, first! Have you forgotten the rules to pretty much the most elementary game?"

"Fine, Druth or dare?" He sighed, giving in. No one resisted that voice; it was mega-taboo in Gibbs's land to do such.

"Dare!" she grinned wryly.

"Okay... I dare you to... Make out with Abs!"

"Tony! You can't dare them to do something personal and private like that!" The girls started into a fit of giggling, their faces red once they stopped.

"Easy! And, Ziva, that's sorta the whole purpose of the game. To test your limits, put you at the brink."

"And it's not like we've never kissed in public before." Leah took that a her chance to kiss Abby, sweetly at first and then growing increasingly... hungry. They rocked back and forth, fighting for dominance. Things became more and more heated by the minute as they slowly ran out of oxygen. Abby began to win as Leah's small body began to tire and numb. She pushed Leah to the floor, rapidly losing memory of their audience in the moment. Reddish brown hair was strung about her on the floor as she lay flat on her back, strongly gripping the material of Abby's blouse. Leah melted as she felt cold, delicate fingers massaging her thigh, making their way up to her skirt.

Tony leered at Abby's ass and got a good visual of her black lacey number hiding under there. He saw where her hand was creeping as the girls nearly tossed right there in front of him. He felt his own pants grow tighter. He made no motion to stop them, instead, moving toward them, enjoying every ounch and angle of his own personal porno. McGee was fumbling with his tie and looking away blushing, wishing Tony would stop looking at them and mimic them using him as Leah.

Ziva, too, blushed and looked away, deciding to put an end to his dirty-rooted happiness. She cleared her throat and the girls stopped mid kiss, turning with their puffy lips still glued together. Abby hastily removed herself from the frame of her smaller lover. Clearly embarrassed at the blunder of thier zoning out, Abby wiped at her smudged black lipstick.

"Sorry... we got a little carried away..."

"That's perfectly OK, Abs." Tony said with false sincerety. A pink McGee tugged again at his collar.

"Let's continue, shall we?"

"Go ahead. We have all the time in the world."

"I meant with the game, Tony."

"Of course."

"Right," she looked around at her potential victims, gaze stopping on Ziva. "Ok, Ziva, Truth or dare?"

"Considering that half of my knowledge is classified, Dare."

"Splendid," she smirked, "I dare you to kiss Tony." Ziva flapped her mouth like a bronze goldfish, babbling. Leah half expected her to sprout gills.

"Come on! It's not like all of us didn't notice you two sneaking off a few times and then dissapearing and reappearing an hour later fith frumpy clothes!" It was Tony's turn to play fish. He was a very red fish.

"Now that you mention it, they did look pretty worn out when they popped back up."

"You guys knew?" Tony asked as the red drained from his face completely... he wasn't red now. He was whiter than Abby.

"It's not that hard to figure out; you've been agreeing on everything all day."

"And I got a movie and you didn't snatch it away from me, regardless of wether you were there or not."

" You aren't going to tell Gibbs, are you?"

"Have I told him yet?"

"He hasn't been glaring more than usual...."

"There you go, then. Now kiss already!" They looked at ach other for what seemed like an eternity, gaining reassurance from one another silently. His emeralds melded with her pools of chocolate. They kissed. It was soft and sweet and yet full of passion and fire that drove newly found love. They broke apart and if the girls haddlt began with a corus of "awwwww!" they would have remained in a state of oblivion. Tony coughed lightly for the awkward situation, and lightly and gently unwrapped Ziva's arms from around his shoulders. There was a silence.

"McGee, truth or dare?" Tony came out of nowhere, commandeering Ziva's turn. Despite Timothy's gut, he went with truth.

"Hmmmm... What's on the top level of the library that only you get to go up there?" His breath hitched but only for a second. He hoped the resident 'ninja' hadn't noticed. He sighed mentally and gave a truthful, yet somewhat misleading answer to the question.

"Comicbooks."

"Why so secretive if it's just batman and friends?"

"I dunno, I just follow Leah's rules. Leah?"

"Some of the volumes I own are worth alot and I like them in pristine condition. I even make him wash his hands before he goes in. And he can't touch the door knob; me, Ianto or Jack always does it for him."

"How much we talking?" Tony asked. _How much can a stupid little magazine cost?_

"Millions. Especially the rare and retired ones."

"Seriously? That much?"

"Yeah. Now ask someone, Timmy."

"Abby, truth or dare?" Abby considered her choices.

_McGee's dares are liable to be no fun and his questions wouldn't be _too _personal... _

"Truth" She shocked Tony with this. _Glad to be able to still suprise you, Dinozzo._

"Ok, uh..." he struggled to find a question. He hadn't anticipated her to chose truth. A sweet smile spread across his lips as he came across one.

"Is Leah the _only _woman you've ever loved?"

"Depends on what your definition of love is, and if you mean a girl or a woman."

"Infactuation doesn't count except in extremes, and any human female." Abby seemed to step into deep thought.

"I had a few big crushes here and there in eighth and ninth grade, but nothing serious. I didn't _love _them. Then Leah came into my life and no one thereafter really compared. So, I skipped around with guys, always guys cause dating girls was too painful 'cause it brought back memories of us."

"That is _so _sweet Abby..." Abby turned to Leah, staving back tears.

"You turn!" she cirped in false jubulance, Leah knew better. "Truth, right?"

"Unless you were planning to dare me to let you takeme in back, yes." She smirked.

I'll settle with truth... for now. Did yo uhave anything to do with all my stuff always selling for atleast $100 over the asking price when me and my mom went broke after.... you were... buried?" There were those rivulets of moisture in her eyes again. Leah wiped Abby's eyes, comforting her and in the process, getting black smudges of mascara everywhere.

"Yeah, I told you about how I tracked you for a while after the fact. When I saw you were in debt, I did the only thing I really could; I bought stuff. I sent agents of the agency to garage sales, used the internet, anything of yours I could get my hands on. helping from afar...it helped me feel... like I was still there for you. Connected, in a way. I was the one who sent you your first Bert, too. I was the secret admirer"

_It's never been a secret that you admire me..._

_-flashback-_

The doorbell rang at five in the morning that Saturday, and the light of dawn lit up the landscape of the rundown apartment complex. Abby's mother was sound asleep in bed (not that she could hear the bell anyway) and her father had been run off years ago by Leah. She had moved back in with her motherafter the funeral, no trusting herself to be alone.

She stumbled out of her room to the front door. Rubbing her sleep filled eyes, she groggily looked through the peephole and saw the tail of an old, military style longcoat running away. She immediately suspected the hoolums who'd been terrorizing the town with ding dong ditch AND smokebomb. Stupidly (considering the smokebombings), she stepped out into the light of morning, hands up in defence of non-existent smoke. Her neighbor across the way, stared at her, thinking her a madwoman.

She felt something soft rub against her foot. Abby looked down, half expecting it to be a smokebomb with a remote controler in the hands of an pesterous brat. Instead she stared at a blue-grey stuffed hippo, a note tied at it's neck with a black lacey ribbon. She hadn't noticed it's presence in her flurry to attemot to catch the bandits. She picked the plushie only to drop it at the sound of a rather unflattering noise. Her neighbor, who was now wattering her big, red, potted petunias, shook her head, a frown of dissaproval was smeared on her aging face.

Abby blushed, but otherwise ignored her, giggling instead when the toy farted once more as she picked it back up. She removed the note from under the perfected bow.

_Abby, _

_Sorry for your loss. I will always be here for you. Hope this little guy cheers you up. I've taken to calling him Bert._

_Your secret admirer_

Abby drifted back to the present.

"That was you?" Leah nodded. "I still have that note!"

"I knew you were depressed so I thought I'd cheer you up. Abby flashed back to the party. Jack had been wearing and old Captain's Coat... a dark navy colored, scruffy, _longcoat_.

"It was Jack who delivered it, wasn't it!?"

"Yep!"

"Wow, that's one old jacket..."

"You should ask him to tell you which war it's from. And I assure you. It was _his _coat." she chuckled in reply. "Truth or dare, Tony?"

"Uh... I dunno. Dare, stupid!"

"Don't call Leah stupid, Tony!" She chided and Glomped her, following her as she fell to the floor. Leah simply blinked, smiling for a moment.

"Y-you can let go now, babe... or at least let me sit up..." Abby hauled herself up and pulled the petite redhead into her lap.

"Better?"

"Mmm...much" Leah hummed, content.

"HELLO! Waiting for my dare here!" Tony yelled, ruining the mood, let alone the atmosphere.

"Go... pee on a wall in the hall or something..." All she wanted to do was go home and snuggle. Tody rudely brought her back to reality.

"I am not going to get fired for simple misconduct because of a stupid dare."

"Using a chicken then?"

"I suppose, how many do we get?"

"Three." Tim winced inside. As Gibbs would say, his pooch was screwed.

"Fine, truth or dare, Leah?"

"Truth, sorry, Tony, I don't trust you enough to choose dare."

"You could always use a chicken." He retorted. Abby stared at his as if he just said he was seriuosly pregnant.

"She hasn't used a chicken since eigth grade, Tony... She isn't about to start now."

"Ah. An oath of compliance and mercy. I admire your commitment."

"S'not like I've played this game since ninth or tenth..."

"You've never played at a bar when you're drunk?"

"A, Why would I go to a bar and drink crappy, watered down beer when I live with a prize winning wine maker?" He showed signs of curious confusion. She continued. "That wine at my party was made by Ianto's hand."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. B, I have a high tolerance to alcohol. I don't get drunk."

"What if yo udown a-"

"-Barrel keg of wine? Remember? I don't like beer all that much."

"Fine, wine."

"No, I wouldn't get drunk. Trust me, I've done it before."

"Fine... your truth is... when was your first time, where, and who?"  
"Ninth grade, couch upstairs in the office of her house, Abby."

"Wait, Abby was your first?"

"Yep."

"So, wait, Abby how old were you that time in the cab? You said that was your first. And she said ninth so... thirteen, fourteen... fifteen?"

"Fifteen." Leah replied. "I was fifteen."

"Fifteen!? That's almost as bad as Tony!" Ziva said, without thinking. Leah blushed at the comparison.

"It was Abby's fault..." She whined.

"Back to that question. Abs?" Abby simply hung her head, squeezed her eyes shut tight, and shook her head in refusal.

"She was fourteen, it was the year before freshman year, before she knew me, before she knew that you should be yourself and not try to get in with the in crowd. She wanted to have something to brag about to the others. Happy, Tony?" Leah held a deeply red and embarrassed, hurt almost, Abby. Tony realized what he'd done by asking the question and lowered his head in shame.

Hey, did you buy that couch from me when you went on your little shopping spree?"

"Didn't you reconise it? It's in the library. You've even sat on it."

"I knew it felt familiar."

"So, Tony, when _did _you figure it out." She asked the new couple. They straightened up, sitting in stark silence for a few moments. Tony's hand crept to Ziva's.

"I-I belive...," Ziva answered on his behalf, "that we realized when we were trapped in that shipping crate."

"So it was a state of desperation that spurred the confession." she half chuckled. "How dramatic."

"I'd always thought it'd be more romantic when I told that someone special I loved her... But shit happens."

"I think, deep down, we knew we liked each other from the start."

"Well that's a no-brainer! I knew that before you did, apparently, knew it from the minute I saw you interact with each other at the crimescene at which you first saw _me_." Tony reminessed about how she had watched their every move that day, and how she had smiled at them, only when they were together.

"I wondered why you acted like an angel when she was around, but as soon as she wasn't you were a smartass."

"Yup! Now dare someone _else_. This is truth or dare, not the 'ask the happy couple questions till they go mad' game." Leah huffed.

"Fine, McGee, Truth or dare?"

_Tony will ask me something about my sexuality or my sexlife for sure..._

"Dare." he said quickly, causing Tony to spread a wry grin that made Timothy go to putty... except in his pants. Putty, thankfully, retains some form or shape.

"Way to step up, McProbius!" Now, I dare you to tell us your MOAS." He smirked and Tim's pants got even tighter as his hand went up to the breast of his coat where, inside the suitpocket, lay the love letter which now held a near permanent residence there. He automatically replied with a chicken, audibly swallowing.

"Aww, C'mon, Probie. I bet it has something to do with that stupid letter of yours, doesn't it?" He goaded him, jabbing at the Thick fabric.

_This is one cruel thing to do, daring me to tell the truth_.

"I said no,Tony!" he blushed.

"Fine! Dare someone, then!" he glowered. Wanting to get back at Tony, Tim smirked and retorted,

"So, Tony, since I can't seem to come up with a single dare tonight, you'll have to settle for a truth." He didn't give him time to object. "What exactly happened in that confines of that tight little box?" he flashed a falsely sweet smile. For someone who typically was unrelenting in his tales of his personal life, was uncharacteristically beet red, comically so.

"Chicken.. I think that's a little too... personal, even for me."

"Come, Tony, you're alway touting your experiences, tell us of this one." Leah smirked. He changed the subject before she could do any more embarrassment.

"McGee, truth or dare?"

"Truth seeing since you've made it obvious you aren't going to play fair." he fumed.

"nope!"

"Oh quit flirting, Tony, and dare him; you already have Ziva!" Leah caused them both to blush.

"Who do you have a crush on?"

"chicken." He said flatly, drawing what seemed to be circles, on the cold concrete floor.

"The point of the game is to reveal and expose yourself, Timothy. You do know that, right?" Timothy got a shade pinker at the sould of the velvet voice saying his name. He suddenly seemed even more interested in the slight pocks in the cement and the finger running over them. Ziva was intrigued by his behavior, while Tony gave up and reclined back on the floor, using Bert as a pillow. She followed his finger movements. It was now clear, she realized, that he was not drawing a circle, but a heart. She assimilated it and soaked the fact in, then studied him again. He was writing now.

McGee stopped at the second letter of his love's name as he noticed he was being watched. He blushed again and lifted his hand slowly and stealthily, almost, to his lap. It seemed red was his natural skintone today. Keeping his head down, He asked Leah how she'd played dead at her funeral.

"Abby said she'd seen your body, so it was open casket, right?"

"Timothy, do you really think-" Ziva began to whisper but Abby cut her off.

"It's ok, Ziva. I was curious about that, too. I have to face it a couple nights a week, so might as well face it now."

"Face what?"

"Reliving that nightmare." Leah winced.

"There are a few chemicals and concoctions that can make a living body seem dead. They suspend the body in a near lifeless state to the point where they are cold to the touch, have a near non-exisitant pulse, and have practicaly no heartbeat. I've wondered that, perhaps, that's where the myth of vampires came from. Basically I pullet a Juliet."

"You always were the romantic one." She petted Leah's head which was in her lap as it had been for the past hour.

"One of us had to be." she smiled with closed, relaxed eyes and pulled on one of Abby's pigtails. Leah was running low on energy; her emergency stash was gone and she hadn't had a single bar of chocolate that day.

"Ziva, I dare you to get refreshments for everyone. I'm gonna die of an anxiety attack if I don't get my fix soon." she moaned pitifully.

"Drama queen"

"Yes, miss crubby, I will get you some chocolate." Ziva chuckled.

"Crabby"

"whatever." Ziva hurried off, eager to get the feeling restored in her legs again. She hit the machines in just the right spot, resulting in about seven bucks of free drinks and snacks. She jogged back, hands full, and passed the goods around.

"Abby, I was wondering... where do yo and Leah... you know..."

"Have sex?" Leah giggled.

"Girl's bathroom, Ziva, this floor. Door sticks as it is and there aren't many women working on this floor, so it's convenient"

"You may have a problem doing that here because, well... it's a bit less obvious when two women go in a women's restroom than when a _man _and a woman do. Why do you ask? Did you want to follow in our footsteps or were you wanting to watch?" she smirked, the chocolate around her face making it look a bit less dastardly.

"I love Tony and do not like women like that. And I do not watch porn."

"I meant were you planning on using our spot. And _everyone _watches porn at least once in their lifetime."

"I have not."

"Lierlierpantsonfire."

"Whatever."

"So.... Who to torment...." Abby mused. Her pigtails perked and popped all over the place as her eves settled on Leah. Her gaze was dreamy and distant, her smile softened. Leah was almost absorbed completely in the chocolate she was slowly savoring.

"Why do you give everyone nicknames?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've always given everyone close to you a nickname. Why?" Leah thought quietly, well, quietly except for the munching noises and the sound or the wrapper crackleing and crinkling.

"I think... it's because it gives me a sence of closeness... like I belong." They looked at her and she elaborated. "Having a name for someone, a name only I call them, makes me feel... special." Everyone was silent, shocked once again at the depth of the answer. They never expected things like this from Leah; they made her, who seemed to be outgoing, sure, confident, and independant, look needy, shy, insecure, and reliant on companionship. They showed who she really was.

"wow..."

"Mmmm..." Leah hummed. She hadn't moved from her position, her head in the loving lap of Abby. She lay, eyes still peacefully closed, as Abby rubbed her head like a cat. She was exceptionally good at living up to her own nickname, for her soft humming of 'mmmm' could almost be mistaken for the purring of a kitten.

"McGee," She didn't peek open an eye nor did she move a muscle, "I dare you to kiss Tony."

"No!" was jis automatic responce from years of denying he was gay. _What is she _doing_!? Is she _trying _to get my secret out!? _Leah had a smile playing on her lips.

"Sorry, Tony, you're wrong."

"On what?"

"On him being gay. Trust me, Tony. If I was a gay guy and was dared to kiss you, I'd be all over you in an instant, wether I had restraint or not."

"Really?"

"Tony, I said I didn't like men, I never said you weren't gorgeous."

"You think I'm hot?"

"Ziva is a lucky woman." McGee burned. Ziva had effortlessly won what he'd craved for years now.

_I've never gotten who I longed for, never. First Abby turned me down and hooked up with countless meaningless guys, I can't blame her for Leah, though, I like her alot, and they're meant for each other. But Tony. First there was Jeanne and now, even worse, Ziva._ He clenched a fist. Leah, he looked over, still had the same smile. It wasn't evil or twisted, but knowing, sweet somehow, like a person planning a suprise party. He replayed what she'd said.

_"Sorry,Tony, you're wrong... on him being gay... if I was a gay guy and was dared to kiss you, I'd be all over you in an instant..." _He understood now; she was protecting him, making him seem even more straight, getting Tony off his back about it.

Tony seemed to deem it as reasonable thinking and accepted her logic that Tim was straight. _She was also trying to help me get over him... by making me be angry with him and Ziva. _

He looked up at Leah again. her eyes were now open, looking dead ahead at him, and full of emotion. Not watering, but they seemed to scream the words 'I'm sorry'. _Sorry for what?_ It dawned on him; Tony wasn't the writer of his beloved note. But if not Tony, then who? He was snapped out of his favorite, velvety voice called out his name, turning him to jello, relaxed jello.

"McGee!" Tony shook him lightly. He feigned sleep.

"Leave 'im alone Tony. You can pick up the slack for him." Tony was about to protest, but she threw that look that mothers give their kids when they are about to complain about chores.

"Abby, Who's better in bed, Leah or McGee?"

"It depends on what you mean by better. Being with a boyfriend and being with your soulmate. On top of that, guys and girls are completely different in bed. Like with me and Leah, my role is usually reversed."

"What do you mean with the whole boyfriend vs soulmate thing?"

"While I gotta admit Tim's good in bed, being with Leah is different. It's more like we're sealing our deal, our love of one another, than just having sex. There's more emotion and care in it. It wouldn't matter if she was terrible in bed, which she is most definately _not_; she's the best I've had." Tony wondered if she remembered the time they were drunk and... "Yes, Tony, I remember that one time, and my previous statement still stands."

"I'm hurt, Abs."

"Well, like I said, she has a bit of an advantage, being my soulmate and all. Besides, she loves kink almost as much as I do, maybe even more." Leah blushed and grinned, but didn't more for fear that the endless, soothing head rub would end. McGee, after a few minutes of trying to figure out his mystery and giving up, decided to 'wake up'. _I'm a mystery novelist and a criminal invesigator; I should be able to solve one little riddle._

"Wha'd I miss? How long have I been out?" he rubbed his eyes.

"Nothing much, just Abby saying that Leah's better in bed that you," Tony smirked.

"And you, Tony," she reminded him. She was smug now. Tim chuckled at the put down.

"I take it you went on without me?"

"Yup!" Tony bragged.

"May I continue where I left off?"

"But of couse, Timmy."

"Leah, what's it like being with another woman?"

"Apart from fantastic, amazing, and different, there's the fact that a woman knows what a woman wants."

"Men can be kinda selfish in bed, too." Abby added.

"It can be difficult, too. guys always teasing you and asking you to put a show on for them, dirty looks from homophobes and people who don't aprove."

"But is that all that makes it different from a regular relationship?"

"I wouldn't know..."

"Wha-"

"I've never been with anyone else. Abby is all I've ever known."

"You'd never been in a relationship with anyone before Abby?"

"Nope. I was pretty much always miserable and alone my whole life. But then, one chilly night, she appeared at my door and, well, my life did a 180.

"No one else?"

"Nuh-uh"

"Wow. No one but Abs... that's some commitment."

"Even afterward, after I 'died', One night stands didn't feel right. She's been my whole life since that fateful night. Even when we couldn't be with eachother."

"That's gotta be alot of pressure on you, Abs."

"Not really, I'm just as comfortable as I was that first night we met, before we even were a couple, really. Except for a few select fights, there's never been any true pressure like some couples. I'm fine having her life fall on me."

"We're a near perfect couple."

"Oh, speaking of near perfect couples, is anyone doing anything tonight?" Abby asked entergetically. Ziva and Tony blushed as they held hands and shifted uncomfortably.

"We have reservations."

"Oooohhhhh! How about you, Tim?"

"No, actually, I was hoping to go over to Leah's and read-"

"Perfect! Drop by my apartment before you go to Leah's."

"Why..." He asked cautiously, having a sinking feeling. Abby and Leah, whom was now sitting up, looked at each other, grinned from ear to ear, and looked bach at him.

"We need help moving boxes. I'm moving in with Leah." Abby blushed and gripped the small hand as she nearly had a happy attack. She couldn't stop smiling.

"Abby, it's not like we didn't live together before."

"I know, but that was so long ago..."

"So you two were this serious before?"

"Have you guys never noticed the rings" They held out their hands.

"Wow... the commitment you guys have..." Tony said, awed and inspired.

"Civil union... wow..."

"We prefer marriage. Civil union sounds so..."

"Lawyer-esque" Leah finnished. "but, back to the game. Tony, I dare you to randomly go up to gibbs and hug him. Just walk up to him, give him a big hug out of the blue-"

"Chicken." he said, horrified at the thought.

"Whatever beefhead. Do someone."

"By 'do someone' do you mean-"

"NO! I meant dare some one you baka!" McGee laughed.

"what's so funny, McGiggles? What's a... a..."

"Baka?"

"Baka is Japanese for stupid or idiot, Tony." he chuckled, red faced from lack of oxygen.

"And you know this how?"

"Leah collects Japanese manga, which are basically long, paperback novel sized comicbooks. I've been reading them lately while I wait for my new comics to come in," he swiftly came up for a reason he'd read them when he normally read American comics.

"Ah... back on track. Ziva!"

"Truth Tony."

"Wow, you're getting the hang of it!" He joked. she glared. "Ok, OK. So, when we interrogated that guy after that bear ate the stiff at the forest a while back, you said you'd spent hours up on stage, waiting for the time your father actually came." She disliked him for bringing her father into this... and her embarrassing secret. "Just what were you doing up on that stage, Miss David? I'm gonna guess... tap dance!" Ziva looked off aimlessly at the floor, lost in the torrent of memories. Most of which were of dissapointment of her father's not being there.

"I was... a ballet dancer." Snickers resonated throughout the room.

"I can just picture you in a frilly pink tutu," leah smirked. Abby looked none too happy about her girlfriend 'imagining' anyone else in any way."...With a knife at your hip!" She began to gggle hysterically and they had to admit, a combat ballerina was a pretty funny idea.

"Ballet takes discipline and-"

"I know, I know. I was one, too when I was little. Prob'ly made for good training for you to start with, a more gental approach than shocking your system by jumping right in. How far you get? They kicked me out after my eighth fight. second year."

Ziva laughed. she'd seen Leah blowing off steam in the gym. She might actually be a good sparring partner for her.

"I lasted a while-"

Leah had burst out laughing again.

"Sorry, it's just really hard to imagine yo uin sequins and..." Leah was practically crying she was laughing so hard. Tony stared at her in much the same way she'd looked at Ziva.

"You were a ballerina?"

"Yep!" Tony'd been looking her up and down at her black, revealing attire. Particularly at her supermini.

"That would account for the skirts," McGee put in and High fived Tony.

"Good one, Probie!" He soaked in the gratification. Tony looked to Abby.

"What happens to your sex life if Gibbs makes you stay late?" Everyone's phones began to ring simultaneously, that was never a good thing. It was a mass text.

_All employees of NCIS are to find something productive to_

_do with their time immediately and stop playing on company time._

_Director Shephard_

They all picked themselves up off the floor.

"Not much, most tests take at least two hours." Leah took Abby's hand and were going towards the door, following everyone en suit. They parted way with the group as soon as they were out of the door, however, going opposite the elevator.

"Whereyou guys going?"

"What do you think?" They turned into the girl's bathroom.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

McGee shuffled papers, scurried about, IMed the girl, but still got nothing done. He couldn't kee phis mind off the note. He went through the facts he knew

_-It isn't Tony_

_-This person knows my secrets_

_-I have no freakin idea who it could be._

Needless to say, it wasn't much. He stared at the list he'd made, but nothing popped out at him.

"Mah-Gee! Since yo ucan't keep still, take these reports up to the director."

"Yessi- Yes boss." he took the manilla case file. he wiped the tension from his face and headed in the general direction of the stairs. He glanced down at the papers and instantly froze. Who had written this report? He looked down at the bull pen, at Gibbs. Yes, he'd only passed him a billion times today in his attempt to get the missive offf his mind. gibbs had written the report. The handwriting, scrawley and near illegible, was identical to his mystery man's. Gibbs was the author of his famed loveletter. He lloked at Gibbs, who now stared straight back. Tim thought he saw snippits of a few feelings he knew well: fear, lust, compassion, embarrasment. He saw the things recently found in his own eyes as he'd stared at Tony. They were all looking at him in the glasses of those steely blues.


End file.
